Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama (web|news|bio) was in the tidewater area of Battleground Virginia Saturday speaking on health care and the economy.

With the election just a month away, the swing states including the battleground state of Virginia, are becoming increasingly important.

Obama, who appeared in an outdoor rally in Newport News Saturday, made his health care speech personal by talking about his mother who died from ovarian cancer at the age of 53.

"She was lying in a hospital bed fighting with her insurance company because they didn't want to cover her treatment," Obama told the crowd.

Obama said he would push for stricter controls on drug and insurance company costs and the government would pick up the tab for catastrophic illnesses. Obama also attacked McCain's health care plan that he says will tax health care benefits, saying of McCain, "he gives you a tax credit with one hand, but he raises your taxes with the other."

The McCain camp, however, says that is simply not true, saying, "John McCain (web|news|bio) will improve the tax code so that middle class paychecks aren't used to pay government bureaucrats, but instead will pay for the access to health care Americans deserve." McCain says he'd give tax credits--$2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families.

Meanwhile, Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin has  traveled to Texas and California since last Thursday's vice-presidential debate, and has been attacking Obama on TV.

"Some of his comments about the war would, in my world, disqualify someone to be commander in chief," said Palin of Obama.

While in Dallas, Palin attended a private $1,000-a-ticket fundraiser and was greeted by supporters and non-supporters. "I think she was factual; she was strong; she related to all Americans," said Lynn Marsan, a McCain-Palin supporter.

However, Wendy Drucker, an Obama supporter, said, "She's a failed candidate. She doesn't know anything; she doesn't know anything about her country, my country, the country."

McCain is spending the day a Sedona, Arizona resort hotel, preparing for his second debate with Obama and has already give a preview of his line of attack Tuesday. "I guarantee you, you're going to learn about who is liberal and who is the conservative, and who wants to raise your taxes and who wants to lower them," McCain said.

Back in Virginia, Obama said he would pay for at least part of his health care plan; $65 billion of it to be exact by cutting out tax breaks for the rich. Both sides are getting ready for the second presidential debate on Tuesday.