Obama Marks Labor Day in Milwaukee, Softens Partisan Edge

MILWAUKEE - Barack Obama spent Labor Day at a union festival in Milwaukee, asking the crowd to observe a moment of silence for the Gulf Coast and promising to pull campaign advertising if the hurricane demands it.

"Today is not a day for political speeches," the Democratic nominee told thousands at the lakefront Laborfest, though he could not entirely resist framing the stakes: "We are going to restore the idea that in America, work pays."

Obama arrived in Wisconsin fresh from his acceptance speech in Denver, which drew more than 38 million television viewers — more than the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics — and a convention bounce in most tracking polls.

The campaign faces a strategic decision this week: press its advantage while the Republican convention is hobbled by Gustav, or match the GOP's subdued tone. Aides said Obama would keep his schedule but strip out attacks for now.

In Milwaukee he focused on the economy, noting the month's job losses and the foreclosure crisis, and promised a middle-class tax cut, tuition help and a national health plan.

The race remains tight. National polls put Obama ahead by single digits, but the electoral map favors a fight to the finish in Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania and a handful of Mountain West states.

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Associated Press writers contributed to this report.

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