RICHMOND, Va. – Deep in the longest day of his campaign, President Barack Obama was in a Las Vegas casino, gambling that his re-election bid needed one more stop. It was 1:40 a.m. on his clock, and he was pleading with the hotel cooks and waiters for their votes.

"I need you so that I can keep on working for you," he told workers at the Bellagio. His voice was going. And soon, he was going again, too.

Obama's 40-hour blitz across America on Wednesday and Thursday was a sign of how the final campaign of his life will look and feel through Nov. 6. His presidency in doubt, Obama is not just chasing votes. He is chasing time.