Ellington

Per a CBS blog: Barack Obama is taking the day off from campaigning today – instead he will be preparing for Friday's presidential debate at an undisclosed location in the Tampa, Fla., area.

While Friday's debate is in Oxford, Miss., traditionally, presidential candidates prepare for debates in a battleground state (2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry prepped in Spring Green, Wisc., prior to his first debate with President Bush in Miami).

Obama has been spending a lot of time in Florida this summer, making up for lost time during the Democratic primary, which was rendered non-binding by the Democratic Party after Florida moved voting to January, in violation of party rules. This will be Obama's 7th day in the state since he secured the nomination in June.

An NBC News/Mason Dixon poll out this morning shows Obama ahead of John McCain in Florida, 47-45%.