I caught up with him Sunday at Reading High School in Reading, PA., where every seat was taken in the gymnasium while hundreds and hundreds were left outside, in a huge line that stretched down North 13th Street.

It was a very mixed crowd in terms of both race and social strata as hispanics dominated the questions, all framed against a backdrop of working class neighborhoods here in eastern Pennsylvania.  

As always, it's hard to tell at Obama events how many people are here who really, really support him and how many people are here (and brought their kids along) simply because the guy is a Political Rock Star.

(I need earplugs as I write this on the basketball floor of the Reading Red Knights...as Obama has just entered this gym to ear-splitting cheers.)

A quick survey of the local papers at the local Wawa showed a variety of headlines on this race.  "The Last Lap" and "Clinton In A Fighting Mood."

I didn't have to wait long once I drove over the Mason-Dixon Line to hear my first Obama and Clinton ads on the radio - and the edge was definitely to Obama on that scoreboard as it has been since the Iowa Caucuses.

It's been seven weeks since I last heard Obama in person just before the Texas primary and it was interesting to see how he's modified his stump speech.

Obama mixed his jabs at both Hillary Clinton and John McCain, combining them on one point where he drew big cheers from this crowd.

You got three candidates: Two of them got it wrong on Iraq, one of them got it right," Obama said, trying to remind voters that Hillary Clinton was not against the war when it began.

(Note to Barack: Don't worry, Saturday Night Live did that for you very well last week.)

Obama repeatedly jabbed at Clinton over the weekend, "We know how to throw some elbows," as he accused her of running a relentlessly negative race against him.

"You've got a real choice," he told voters Sunday.

Obama's event in Reading was a town hall meeting which can be good and bad.  I find that John McCain's town halls are the best of the three candidates remaining.  He just seems to feed off those questions the best.

Clinton and Obama are about the same when it comes to this format, though she tends to really drown people in wonky details more so than Obama.  

Obama did step up and rebuke a superdelegate who might actually vote for him this year, that being former President Jimmy Carter, as Obama said Carter should not have met with Hamas during his recent trip to the Middle East.

"I simply disagree - quote text

The town hall format, of course, introduces the chance for something crazy in what's usually a very controlled environment.

One woman asked about Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, but the winning question was something that I'm sure made Obama's staff wince, something about why do they print money at the Federal Reserve and not the Mint.

As usual, Obama gave a good speech.  He certainly is the best of those left in the race when it comes to that.  

It's good to be back on the campaign trail.

Even if I broke my laptop last night and can barely see half the screen.   Sigh.