Obama staffers join convention planning

DENVER, July 5 (UPI) -- Presumptive presidential nominee Barack Obama's campaign has sent 10 people to Denver to try to get the Democratic convention plans on track, a spokesman said.

The convention is scheduled for Aug. 25 through Aug. 28 and could be critical for Obama after his long and bruising primary fight with New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.

The party has made some critical mistakes in planning, The New York Times said. Cost overruns and fundraising have also become a problem.

Obama spokesman Bill Burton said the staffers are in Denver to "get a handle on the budget and make hard decisions."

The Democrats suffer from some self-inflicted problems, the Times said. For example, many caterers decided not to get involved because the party banned fried foods, demanded organic and locally grown produce and even had requirements on colors.

The host committee in Denver hampered fundraising by telling would-be donors their gifts would not be tax-deductible, when the donors should have been told that an application for tax-exempt status was pending.