FOXNews.com reports that Barack Obama has stopped advertising in seven states won by Pres. Bush in 2004. Of the seven states -- Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota and Virginia -- only Florida and Georgia have voted Democratic even once in the last four presidential elections, though the Obama campaign has put all of them in play.

Aides to Obama told FOX News that the changes are related to the convention next week. They wouldn't discuss the specifics of their ad strategy, but the Obama campaign insists that it has not pulled out of those states permanently, calling this a temporary suspension.

When Obama's campaign took over the Democratic Party earlier this year, it embraced Howard Dean's 50-state strategy, which is aimed at courting Democrats nationwide. The strategy has generated controversy, though, because many Democrats say it wastes money in states where they have no chance of winning.

The suspension of ads in some states comes after Obama and McCain exchanged ads Thursday accusing the other of being out of touch with the average citizen because of the number of homes he owns or the amount of money he has.