The Trail

As Obama Wraps Up Hawaii Trip, He Takes a Shot at RNC E-Mails

Obama finished up his Hawaii vacation with some bodysurfing. He also honored his deceased mother by tossing a white lei into the sea. At another point, Obama visited the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor with his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters. He took his family and some friends snorkeling at Hanauma Bay.

Almost every day while Obama was gone, the Republican National Committee sent out an e-mail titled the "Updated Obama Travel Guide" -- mocking his two-hour basketball game, his picnic under a banyan tree and his rental of a large, oceanfront vacation home.

On Friday, the Obama campaign struck back with a mocking e-mail of its own. "Breaking News Alert -- RNC attacks hamburgers, moviegoers and ice cream cones! Puppies and kittens feared to be next!" the press release said. Listing a few examples of the Republican committee's e-mails, it continued: "Apparently the folks at the RNC don't like eating cheeseburgers or ice cream with their families, and are not among the millions of Americans who enjoyed Batman."

-- Anne E. Kornblut

BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE

T. Boone Pickens Lays Out Energy Plan For McCain, Then Joins Reid in Call

T. Boone Pickens, the oilman turned environmental crusader, met Friday morning with McCain at the Aspen Institute, where he peddled his plan for energy independence.

"It was a free flow of questions and answers," Pickens said afterward.

Less than two hours later, Pickens was the featured guest on a conference call with Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.), praising the Democrat's environmental work.

"Who would have thought last year that T. Boone Pickens and Senator Harry Reid would be in a boat pulling that oar the same way?" Reid joked on the call.

McCain and Pickens both want to expand drilling off the U.S. coast to reduce reliance on foreign sources. Pickens is also a big proponent of alternative forms of energy, such as wind power. McCain has expressed support for renewable energy, but has also voted against tax credits that the young industries experts have deemed critical.

During the conference call with Reid, Pickens sang the praises of natural gas and urged greater use of nuclear power.

-- Michael D. Shear