US Election: Mccain and Palin Hit the Campaign Trail Together As Polls Show Republican Bounce

John McCain today extended his campaign swing with Sarah Palin, calculating that the double act, and Republican claims they represent a partnership for political reform, is gaining ground in the American heartland.

The extended run for McCain and Palin in battleground states comes amid new opinion polls today suggesting that the Republicans came out of their convention in a stronger position than the Democratic nominee, Barack Obama.

The scale of the Palin phenomenon was evident today when the crowd at a campaign stop in Lee's Summit, Missouri, burst into a chant of " Sarah, Sarah'.

The joint appearances by McCain and Palin contrasts with Obama and his running mate, Joe Biden, who have entirely separate schedules.

Obama was in the rust belt of Michigan today, while Biden campaigned in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Democrats have also recruited a third principal campaign in Hillary Clinton who was deployed in Tampa today.

McCain had his best performance ever against Obama in a USA Today-Gallup poll, which gave him a clear lead over his Democratic opponent among those voters most likely to go to the polls next November, with 54% support compared to 44% for Obama.

Much of that post-convention bounce is attributed to enthusiasm about Palin, who has been adopted as a heroine by Republican social conservatives.

But curiosity and excitement about Palin also extends to the campaign trail, where McCain has been getting far bigger crowds with his running mate by his side.

The partnership between McCain and Palin is now at the center of the Republican strategy for the presidential elections. A new television ad released today, called the "Original Mavericks", sets the two up as dedicated reformers. "They'll make history. They'll change Washington," the ad says..The response to Palin also appears to have energized McCain.Aides have told reporters that he enjoys listening to Palin's tales of caribou hunting on the campaign bus, and that he feels more comfortable at campaign rallies with his running mate by his side.

Palin today got the seal of approval from the vice-president, Dick Cheney, for her "superb" speech to the convention and her wisecrack that hockey mums were like pit bulls in lipstick.

Cheney sidestepped the question of Palin's experience or the Republican strategy of running away from George Bush's record.

The secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, herself once seen as a possible candidate for president or vice-president, was less effusive in an interview with CNN television. Asked whether Palin had the foreign policy experience for the job, Rice said: "These are decisions that Senator McCain has made. I have great confidence in him."

The Republicans may also feel energized by changes in political coverage at NBC television. During the convention, speakers regularly attacked the media, but the network was singled out, with delegates chanting: "NBC, NBC" in response to criticism from the stage.

The network said it would replace two lead anchors in election night coverage, Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews, who had tried to set a more casual, and conversational type of broadcast.