Economic gurus: Counseling the candidates

Of all the advisers a candidate has, few are more important this year than the house economists.

You might think that being part of a presidential candidate's brain trust would mean high-level meetings in plush quarters with good food.

Not exactly. There are high-level meetings - but they're more likely to be conducted by phone or on the fly between stump speeches.

As for the food, when asked what surprised him most about campaign life, John McCain adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin said, "How much I like eating out of vending machines."

But of course, with an economy to save and crowds to sway, who has time for dinner?

The economy is front and center in people's minds, and the leading presidential candidates are relying on economic experts to help them win the pocketbook persuasion game.

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