By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidateBarack Obama convenes an all-star panel of advisers on Mondayas he and Republican rival John McCain shift from world affairsto the top issue for American voters -- the faltering U.S.economy.
Hitting the campaign trail again after a weeklong foreigntrip, Obama travels to Washington to meet with a star-studdedpanel that includes billionaire investor Warren Buffett, formerFederal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker and Google Chairman EricSchmidt.
The McCain campaign countered with a conference call inwhich top economic adviser Carly Fiorina told reporters theArizona senator has been "quietly talking" with economists andpolicymakers, including Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernankeand Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, over the past year.
"I think the American people are getting treated to yetanother photo op by Barack Obama, but meanwhile John McCain hasbeen out talking about the economy, understanding the economy,taking advice on the economy for many, many months," Fiorinasaid.
Polls show economic worries lead voter concerns by a widemargin. After a week out of the country meeting world leadersand discussing foreign policy, Obama said he is anxious toshift gears to high gas prices, home foreclosures and bankfailures.
"People are worried about gas prices, they're worried aboutjob security, they're worried about their retirement fund asthe stock market goes down," Obama told a gathering of minorityjournalists in Chicago on Sunday.
"People are understandably concerned about the immediateeffects of the economy, and that's what we will be talkingabout for the duration," he said.
Among other attendees at the economic session in aWashington hotel on Monday will be former Treasury SecretaryRobert Rubin, former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers andformer Labour Secretary Robert Reich.
Obama said the session was designed to look at both hisexisting proposals and to help him develop additional steps tohelp turn around the economy.
The Illinois senator told NBC's "Meet the Press" he wantedthe group to "examine the policies that we've already putforward: a middle-class tax cut, a second round of stimulus, aneffort to shore up the housing market."
Those types of economic issues, he said, will dominatevoter concerns in the race to the November election.
McCain has criticized Obama for promising to repealPresident George W. Bush's tax cuts for Americans who make morethan $250,000 and for opposing McCain's call to lift the ban onoffshore drilling.
Obama has accused McCain of clinging too closely to Bush'seconomic approach. Polls show a majority of voters prefer theleadership of Obama and Democrats on the economy.
But McCain, a harsh critic of what he says is runawaygovernment spending, has made inroads among voters with hiscall for increased offshore drilling and construction of newnuclear power plants.
One of McCain's top economic advisers, former Texas Sen.Phil Gramm, was forced to step down recently after describingthe United States as a "nation of whiners" and saying itsuffered from a mental recession.
(Editing by David Wiessler)
(For more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters"Tales from the Trail: 2008" online athttp://blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)
