Republicans are making sure they take Missouri seriously in the presidential election. It remains to be seen whether Democrats are doing the same.

U.S. Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., held a conference call with reporters Wednesday to question Barack Obama’s credentials in foreign relations and national defense. As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Bond said Obama and vice presidential candidate Joe Biden have "not shown an appreciation of the magnitude of the threat" by radical elements in the Middle East.

"I know he gives a great speech … but has no idea what it takes to win the war on terror," Bond said of Obama.

While the Republicans were figuratively rallying their troops, the Missouri Democratic delegation in Denver was placed in the nose-bleed section of the convention hall in Denver. That left some party officials wondering if the national campaign staff has given up on the state.

It would not be the first time Missouri has been dropped by the Democrats. In 2004, the John Kerry campaign staff was pulled out in late October. At that point it appeared that President George W. Bush would win the state. The withdrawal of campaign offices affects more than the top of the ticket.

Democrat Claire McCaskill lost the governor’s race to Republican Matt Blunt by about 3 percent of the vote. Several of her top campaign officials said McCaskill could have done better if Kerry’s campaign offices had remained active and helped get Democrats out to vote. (A few of the most optimistic McCaskill supporters say she could have won, but that seems unlikely.)

Two years later, McCaskill won her U.S. Senate race against Jim Talent by about 3 percent, thanks to a late surge and a decidedly Democrat-friendly year.

McCaskill is now one of Obama’s biggest supporters. She was part of a rural tour last week designed to tout Obama’s stance on farm issues. Apparently that didn’t convince too many farmers, because a State Fair straw poll gave GOP presidential hopeful John McCain a landslide victory. McCain got 71 percent of the nearly 5,100 votes cast.

Three recent polls in the Show-Me State have McCain ahead by anywhere from 5 percent to 10 percent. Obama’s numbers should climb somewhat after this week’s convention due to the "bump" that goes with such events. McCain could be expected to get his bump next week as the Republicans complete their convention.

With two months to go, things could still shift. The big question is whether Democrats will concede the state — at least insofar as the presidential campaign is concerned.

Bond hopes they will. McCaskill hopes they won’t.

Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago,
is surrounded by reporters before participating
in a Democratic rally on Governor’s Day
at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield on Wednesday.

Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago, is reportedly preparing to announce his retirement today.

The Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times both quote sources close to Jones in Monday’s editions. Jones’ retirement could be a major blow to Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who has counted Jones among his few legislative allies.

The 73-year-old Jones has been Senate president for five years and has been in the Legislature for 35 years.

Early speculation about Jones’ successor has focused on a handful of Chicago area legislators. Insiders say, however, that nobody can say how the race might shake out with lots of different factions playing a part.

The Senate has a black caucus, downstate caucus, Hispanic caucus a few Blagojevich loyalists and several who are beholden to Mayor Richard Daley.

Whoever emerges from the fray will help shape the final couple of years of Blagojevich’s term in office and will offer a new dynamic in working with or working against Speaker Michael Madigan.

Melissa Hahn of the Illinois Radio Network reported Wednesday that Illinois Department of Agriculture personnel were ordered to turn in many of the golf carts they use to get around the state fairgrounds to make them available for special guests of Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Vendors also were told to leave one of the parking lots open for buses filled with Blagojevich supporters.

Wednesday was Governor’s Day at the fair, and a spokesman for Blagojevich said the golf cart memo is not new this year.

Comptroller Dan Hynes got plenty of applause when he criticized those leading the state for failing to move forward on important issues. The Associated Press quoted Hynes as saying it was the best of times with Democrats supporting Barack Obama for president, and it is the worst of times in terms of the problems with state government.

Legislators rejected a pay hike Tuesday, but will get a cost-of-living increase.
House Joint Resolution 132 was approved 47-0 with three members voting present. The legislation means a combined 7.5 percent pay hike will not take place this year, but a 3.8 percent cost-of-living adjustment will take place.
"Given the current financial status of the state and the needs of my constituents, now is not an appropriate time for legislators to vote themselves a pay raise," said Sen. John Sullivan, D-Rushville.
Sullivan became a co-sponsor of the resolution in May at a time when most of those signing onto the measure were Republicans.
Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago was among those voting present. Jones had previously said the pay raises were overdue. He dropped his previous opposition to allowing a vote on the pay measure several months after House members voted against the hike.

It is easy to see that pay raises for most elected officials in Illinois are controversial. Just look at the total disagreement about when and whether the raises will take effect.
Until recently, it was assumed that pay raises would be triggered if the Illinois Senate did not vote to reject them sometime during the first couple of days of the fall veto session. The House already voted to reject pay raises that would increase legislative salaries from about $67,800 to about $73,000 a year.
Senate President Emil Jones said the 7.5 percent pay hikes are  deserved and he had vowed … or hinted … or suggested … that he would not call a vote on the plan to reject raises. That, however, was before it became clear that Gov. Rod Blagojevich was going to call the House and Senate in for two special session days this week.
State law sets forth the number of session days in which the House and Senate have to vote to turn down pay hikes. A straightforward counting of session days would indicate that clock would run out this week. That is not great timing for legislators who may fear irritating voters with the General Election so close.
Jones’ answer to the problem is to declare that special session days should not count toward the pay raise deadline. After all, Jones reasons, special sessions are limited to actions prescribed by the governor.
Since the Senate president is not the final authority on whether session days count, Jones told reporters Monday that he may allow a vote on the pay raises.
Comptroller Dan Hynes threw a little more confusion into the issue when he announced that raises cannot occur anyway, because the Legislature has not yet appropriated any money to cover the costs.
Hynes is correct because historically the Legislature has been denied higher pay unless budget line items are sufficient.
Even if the Senate fails to act, the House may never allow a vote on higher budgetary line item appropriations.
The bigger question is whether voters will boot out some incumbents because of anger over a do-nothing, dysfunctional Legislature. Those members who get labeled "greedy" could be in for a bumpy election in November.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich has ordered Illinois legislators into special session Aug. 12 and 13.
Blagojevich announced Tuesday afternoon that he wants lawmakers to consider education funding next Tuesday and focus on a pared-down capital construction plan the next day.
“Last week former U.S. Speaker Dennis Hastert and I sat with leaders from the four caucuses to present a compromise … capital plan. Now that they have had time to review our proposal, I will convene a special session so that they can pass a plan this summer that will repair and rebuild our state’s infrastructure and put Illinoisians to work,” Blagojevich said in a press release.
The $25 billion capital plan now being supported by the governor, is down from a $34 billion plan. One major difference is that it does not expand the current number of riverboat casinos in Illinois or expand gambling.
Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago, told The Associated Press that the plan would be “a hard sell” when she emerged from last week’s meeting. Currie was attending the informational session on behalf of Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago.
Madigan and Blagojevich have been feuding for the past few years.
House Democrats did not vote on Blagojevich’s capital plan and said they do not trust the governor to distribute the money fairly.
Blagojevich said Madigan is the only barrier to approving a capital construction bill.