The word “change� appears on a campaign sign held by Brooke Keith of Alexandria, Va. Both Barrack Obama and John McCain say they will change government. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Both of the nominees for President of the United States of America are running against the record of the man they want to replace. Democratic Senator Barack Obama is promising a change from the policies of President George W. Bush.

Republican Senator John McCain started to use the theme of change in the final stages of the campaign. McCain and Bush are both Republicans.

Some say McCain will have a harder time separating himself from Bush. Records show McCain voted in favor of Bush's policies 90 percent of the time.

Public opinion polls show Bush is very unpopular with voters. Obama said during the campaign that McCain will bring four more years of Bush's policies.

McCain did not mention Bush by name in his acceptance speech. Candidates give a major speech at the end of their national party conventions.

Candidates formally accept the nomination. The speeches usually include plans for what the nominee would do after winning the election.

Obama said he will give tax breaks to the middle class, fund research for alternative sources of energy, and work on health care for everyone. McCain said he will make President Bush's tax cuts permanent. He supports off-shore drilling for oil and the war in Iraq.

The Republican Party nominated McCain at its National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, in early September. Democrats nominated Obama at their National Convention in late August in Denver, Colorado.

General Election is Nov. 4
The general election for President is November 4. In the general election, voters will pick one of the two candidates for president.

The winner is likely to be decided by a few "swing" states. Such states are ones where the race is close and could go either way. Polls show Ohio is likely to be a very important swing state this time.

McCain picked Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his vice president. Obama chose Delaware Senator Joe Biden as his running mate. The vice president becomes president when the president dies, resigns or is voted out by Congress.

Palin had been governor only 20 months when she was chosen. She was not widely known outside Alaska.
Biden ran for president earlier this year. He has been a Senator for 37 years.