Is Barack Obama Really for a New Kind of Politics?

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Same Old Tune?

Barack Obama may say he's for a new kind of politics but this is how his supporters plan to go after John McCain?

New York Post Democratic commentator and FOX News contributor Kirsten Powers says Democrats will repeatedly accuse McCain of being too "old" and "out of touch" with the electorate. She says they will argue that McCain cannot be trusted on foreign policy and has confused Sunnis and Shiites in the past. And, they will point out that McCain suggested in May that U.S. forces have been drawn down to pre-surge levels — which is not quite true.

Another target will be McCain's reputation as a maverick. Powers says Democrats will argue McCain's Senate votes show that he is in lock-step with his Party and that he has abandoned any positions that may put him at odds with the GOP base.

Powers says one line Democrats are already using is, "The John McCain of 2000 wouldn't even vote for the John McCain of 2008."

Cutting Corners?

Obama campaign staffers double-up at hotels, and the campaign does not pay for cabs from Chicago's O'Hare airport, but it is far from the most frugal campaign in history.

In fact, the Weekly Standard's online blog reports Obama's team of 700 is the biggest in presidential election history — more than twice as large as president Bush's in 2004 — and seven times as big as John McCain's organization.

The Center for Responsive Politics reports that data for February, March and April of this year show Obama has outspent McCain's campaign two-to-one on office rent, four-and-a-half to one on staff salaries and 25-to-one on broadcast advertising.

Where's the Love?

It was supposed to be a post-primary unity event at the Democratic National Committee headquarters Wednesday. But the love, at times, was hard to find.

While elected Democrats filed into the Party's conference room for the show of solidarity, DNC Chairman Howard Dean — not realizing his microphone was switched on — took a shot at the famously voluble New York senator Charles Schumer.

As Dean was trying to begin the meeting, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that he should wait until Schumer stopped talking.

Dean replied, "That'll be a long wait."

Old Faithful

And finally, for 50 years a playground slide at the Birmingham, England, botanical gardens has been a great joy to children. The Daily Mail reports that there have never been any serious mishaps — or even complaints — about the slide.

But a group of health and safety administrators has determined that the possibility of an accident is enough to scrap the slide altogether. They say the slide does not meet standards introduced in 1999 to regulate playground equipment — but admit the rules do not cover existing structures.

Conservative council member James Hutchings told the Daily Mail, "It's completely mad the way we are being run ragged by the health and safety mafia. If there hadn't been an accident in 50 years then the chances are there's not much wrong with this slide."

Unhappy parent Rachael McKelvey added that the old slide "at least... had some character."

— FOX News Channel's Zachary Kenworthy contributed to this report.