Senator McCain said yesterday his campaign aides were not aware of offensive comments made by a former Texas gubernatorial candidate, Clayton Williams, when they scheduled a fund-raiser at his home. The campaign rescheduled the fund-raiser, set for last night, after reporters asked about a remark Mr. Williams made during his campaign for the statehouse in 1990, when he compared bad weather to rape: “As long as it’s inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it,” he said. Mr. McCain yesterday tried to downplay the flap, which comes as he is courting women voters who supported Senator Clinton during the Democratic primary. “My people were not aware of the statement he made 16 or 18 years ago,” he told reporters at a press conference in Arlington, Va. He said Mr. Williams would not attend the rescheduled fund-raiser, but that his campaign would keep the money that Mr. Williams helped raise for Mr. McCain. The Obama campaign sharply criticized his response. “The only thing more insulting than John McCain’s willingness to keep hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign cash raised by Clayton Williams is his attempt to get away with it by simply changing the venue of his fund-raiser,” a spokesman, Hari Sevugan, said. “It’s clear that John McCain is more concerned with dealing with a ‘perception problem’ than in condemning these despicable remarks or in living up to the straight talk reputation he brags about.”

OBAMA CAMPAIGN HIRES EX-CLINTON AIDE

Senator Obama yesterday sent a strong signal that he is not considering Senator Clinton to be his vice presidential nominee, picking Patti Solis Doyle to be chief of staff to whomever he does choose. Ms. Solis Doyle was ousted as Mrs. Clinton’s campaign manager in February. The announcement provoked immediate outrage from Clinton supporters, who said it is proof that the presumptive Democratic nominee is not taking Mrs. Clinton seriously. Since losing her job, Ms. Solis Doyle is no longer a part of the Clinton inner circle and is barely on speaking terms with her former boss.

“It’s a slap in the face,” a prominent Clinton donor, Susie Tompkins Buell, said. “Why would they put somebody that was so clearly ineffective in such a position?” She said it was a “calculated decision” by the Obama team to “send a message that she is not being considered for the ticket.”

Ms. Solis Doyle is the most prominent person allied with the Clinton campaign to move to the Obama circle; so far, no one who stayed with Mrs. Clinton until the end has made a similar leap. Since clinching the Democratic nomination two weeks ago, Mr. Obama has sought to win over Clinton donors and is now facing a challenge by Senator McCain for her female supporters.

OBAMA TO TRAVEL TO IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN

Senator Obama announced yesterday that he will travel to Iraq and Afghanistan before the November balloting. He may also make a trip to the Middle East, his advisers said. Mr. Obama spoke by phone with the Iraqi foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, about the war yesterday, one day after the presumptive Republican nominee, Senator McCain, met with him in Washington.

MCCAIN CALLS FOR JOINT TOWN HALL BEFORE PRO-IMMIGRATION GROUP

Ramping up pressure in the debate over debates, Senator McCain wants Senator Obama to join him for a town hall meeting when the two candidates address the National Council of La Raza, a major Hispanic-American organization, next month in San Diego. The presumptive Republican nominee made the plea during a press conference in Virginia yesterday. He has pushed to hold 10 joint town hall meetings over the summer, and although the Obama campaign signaled it was open to more debates, talks broke down last week, with the two camps blaming one another. Mr. McCain held a solo town hall in New York City last week, and he has said he will block out time in his schedule every Thursday between now and the nominating conventions in late August and early September. La Raza is an influential pro-immigration group, and Mr. McCain is aiming to win over Hispanic voters by touting a moderate stance on immigration.

POLL: McCAIN, OBAMA EVEN AMONG INDEPENDENTS

Buoyed by a public mood favoring Democrats, Senator Obama begins the general-election campaign holding a narrow advantage over Senator McCain, with independent voters emerging as a constituency critical to the Republican’s hopes of winning the presidency in November.

In the first Washington Post-ABC News poll since the Democratic nomination contest ended, Messrs. Obama and McCain run evenly among political independents, a shift toward the presumptive Republican nominee over the past month. On the issues, independents see Mr. McCain as more credible on fighting terrorism and are split evenly on who is the stronger leader and better on the Iraq war. But on other key attributes and issues — including the economy — Mr. Obama has advantages among independents.

POLL SHOWS TIGHT OBAMA-MCCAIN RACE IN NEVADA

A new poll shows a tight general election battle shaping up in Nevada between senators Obama and McCain. The Mason-Dixon survey released yesterday shows Mr. McCain leading Mr. Obama by 2% — a statistically insignificant edge that falls within the margin of error. The Republican had 44% to Mr. Obama’s 42%.