Republican National Committee

ST. PAUL, Minn. – John McCain’s decision to all but scrap the first night of convention proceedings is a sign of his leadership skills, one of the Republican presidential candidates top advisers told the Nevada delegation at a lunch meeting here today.

“It truly does demonstrate that this man is about country first,” said Black, echoing one of the campaign’s central themes.

Black used his address to urge the Silver State delegation to keep in mind those in the Gulf Coast affected by Hurricane Gustav.

He also said that, in a conversation he had with McCain earlier today, the candidate had said he was planning on campaigning extensively in Nevada – widely seen as one of the nation’s most competitive battleground states – in the coming weeks.

The Associated Press is reporting that a key Republican National Committee panel has called the state GOP attempt to elect delegates "flawed, inadequate and unacceptable." They were also troubled by the "ineptness" of the state party.

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LAS VEGAS - Democrats aren't the only ones preparing for presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama's Tuesday visit to Las Vegas. Monday, the Republican National Committee hosted a conference call for reporters with DuPage County, Ill. State's Attorney Joe Birkett to discuss "Obama's questionable housing record and connections, and how they relate to his upcoming travel to Las Vegas, NV."

Birkett, a former Republican candidate for governor in Illinois, raised doubts about Obama's judgment based on a 2005 real estate deal with the wife of Tony Rezko, a Chicago-based political fundraiser and real estate developer who was convicted earlier this month of sixteen federal counts of bribery, fraud and money laundering.

Birkett said it was "more than bone-headed" for Obama to purchase a house in Chicago the same day Rezko's wife purchased an adjoining lot, and that Americans should question "whether or not [Obama] has the kind of judgment to be the president of the United States."

LAS VEGAS -- Signaling Nevada's importance in the general election, the Republican National Committee has added staff to the state and today announced the assignment of Nevada's 2008 Victory director, Jessica Patterson.

Patterson, a veteran of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's campaign, has been on the ground for a little more than a week and will be organizing Republican grassroots efforts including voter registration, volunteer outreach and direct voter contact.

"There's going to be a lot of time and resources put into the state," said Patterson.

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