In a week full of distractions like shifty comments on Iraq, liberal dissent over warrantless wiretaps and a series of speeches on “patriotism,” the Obama campaign is finally moving back to the issue most able to beat McCain and fire up support from struggling moderates: The economy.

The end of the week brought more horrid jobs numbers and new jumps in the price of oil that have placed economic woes again at the forefront of what voters are paying attention to in the campaign and have McCain wondering how wise his Colombian publicity tour really was. It bought him a few days of prestige and TV coverage, but at what cost? How much will the lasting image of McCain jetting off to Canada and South America to tout policies that Middle Americans believe have crippled them economically hurt his campaign?

Anyhow, the Obama released a statement laying out the details of Obama’s renewed economy tour, hitting swing states like North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia next week.

At each stop, Senator Obama will continue talking to Americans about how the economy affects their everyday lives. At the events, he’ll discuss with Americans the challenges we face and his plans to turn the economy around. The choice in this election is a choice between more of the same policies that have widened inequality, added to our debt, and shaken the foundation of our economy, or change that will reward hard work with a decent living; that will invest in the ingenuity and innovation of our people; that will fuel a bottom-up prosperity to keep America strong and competitive in the 21st century.