By David Usborne in New York

It is not WHEN he was born that might cause John McCain problems come the general election in November - let's face it, he is pretty vigorous for a child of 1936 - but rather WHERE. We all know that drawing your first breath on United State soil is a must if you ever want to become president. A "natural born citizen" is the precise wording in the US Constitution. Arnie Schwarzenegger could conceivably work harder at erasing his Austrian accent but the path to the White House will always be forbidden to him anyway.   

By David Usborne on Hillary Clinton's plane

No kidding when they say that the candidates' schedules are tight. This morning we - the travelling press - are rushed from the Hyatt Hotel in downtown Cleveland on buses to the airport in a driving blizzard.  Two planes in the livery of ATA Airlines are on an executive jet apron.

One for Obama gets off quickly, though colleagues on board tell us by email that thanks to the weather he is already an hour late for his next event in Columbus. Finally, the de-icer lorries get to us. Maybe because they are rushing they squirt the anti-freeze into the ground generator and the plane suddenly goes dark. If it was a metaphor for the Clinton campaign, it at least wasn't long before the lights came on again.

By David Usborne in Cleveland, Ohio

There are several hundred folks crammed on street corners outside the Wolstein Center at Cleveland Statue University, the site of today's Obama-Clinton debate tonight, screaming their political lungs out to anyone who will listen. Nothing unusual about that - you see them at all the debates waving banners for their favourite candidates as the audience and media arrive. But tonight is different.

By David Usborne in Honolulu, Hawaii

Note to the Clinton team: maybe you should consider challenging the vote tally in Hawaii last night.    Correct procedures were not always followed. Hell, it was utter pandemonium at most caucus sites on Tuesday night. Party registration forms ran out. Ballot papers ran out. Good Lord, at some sites, officials were tearing pages out of notebooks bought at corner stores to write out makeshift ballot papers in ballpoint pen. Who could tell if people were voting once or 10 times?