In turning up the volume, Obama runs a risk. Should he show too much temper, he perpetuates the sideshow, which could distract voters from the slumping economy, rising gas prices and other issues where he feels he has an advantage.
By contrast, McCain seems to be moving in the opposite direction. Once known as a freewheeling candidate who liked to mix it up with the public and the media, McCain has become far more scripted since he reorganized his campaign in July.
He is increasingly controlled, seldom deviating from his basic stump speech. He rarely presides over unscripted town hall meetings, which he once called "the essence of democracy." And he has not held a news conference in nearly a month.
There are few flashes of his famous temper. During a round-table with seven women at a Philadelphia diner on Wednesday, the Arizona senator had to cope with the loud chanting of nearby Obama protesters.
"O-ba-ma!" they shouted as McCain tried to make a closing statement.
McCain merely grinned, chuckling occasionally as his own supporters tried to drown out the Obama protesters with cheers of "John-Mc-Cain!"
Obama is recalibrating his tone at a time when the race is in flux. Palin's nomination as vice president has shaken up the election in ways Obama campaign aides concede they don't fully understand. Obama professes not to care about poll numbers, but his campaign is well aware that his lead over McCain has evaporated. Within the Democratic Party, some politicians are getting antsy about the latest polling trends, having seen previous Democratic nominees blow leads at the end.
Obama is also confronting an edgier, more aggressive McCain operation. The Republican nominee has gained traction against Obama with an ad likening him to a shallow celebrity. And the McCain campaign is firing back at every provocation, real or imagined.
It's a style Obama says he dislikes. And it showed in his reaction to the "lipstick" dust-up this week.
Obama used a familiar phrase Tuesday to talk about McCain's policies -- putting "lipstick on a pig." Lipstick is a word that Palin had used during her convention speech, when distinguishing pit bulls from hockey moms. Drawing a connection, the McCain campaign said Obama was insulting Palin. They put up a Web video Wednesday suggesting that Obama was sexist.
Obama struck back later in the day at a campaign event at a school here.
"Enough!" he said. "They seize on an innocent remark, try to take it out of context, throw up an outrageous ad because they know that it's catnip for the news media."
Outrage can be an effective campaign tool. But so can humor. Later in the day, Obama was onstage with David Letterman, trading quips.
"Let me ask you a question here," Letterman said. "Have you ever actually put lipstick on a pig?"
"You know," Obama said, as the audience laughed, "the answer would be no. But I think it might be fun to try."
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peter.nicholas@latimes.com
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Times staff writer Maeve Reston, traveling with the McCain campaign in Virginia, contributed to this report.
