Obama Advisor Lowers Speech Expectations

Race will "remain tight as a tick" he says

President Barack Obama goes before the Democratic National Convention and the nation on Thursday for a capstone speech designed not just to persuade undecided voters to swing his way but to put fire in the belly of his supporters.

Obama senior adviser David Plouffe promised the president would give voters "a very clear sense of where he thinks the country needs to go economically, the path we need to take." But he also cautioned that no one should expect Obama to slingshot out of his convention with a huge boost in polls that have long signaled a close race.