The armored Secret Service bus is expected to make a return this week for President Obama, as he heads out on a three day bus tour of North Carolina and Virginia, two pivotal states for Democrats in next year's elections.

If you're wondering, the White House says this trip is official business, so it isn't being paid for by the Democratic Party, just like a three state tour earlier this year.

The trip begins today in Buncombe County, North Carolina - home to Asheville - an island of blue in the western part of that state; the county went easily for Obama-Biden four years ago.

Mr. Obama will speak at the Asheville airport, and then again at a high school in the Millers Creek, a tiny town of just over two thousand people.

Unlike Asheville, Millers Creek is part of the very red Wilkes County; it went 69-30% for John McCain in 2008.

The President will finish his day back on Blue Turf in Greensboro.

On Tuesday, the President will make stops in North Carolina and Virginia, heading his way north towards Richmond, which just happens to be home to the number two House Republican Eric Cantor, who has drawn public attacks by the President in recent weeks for his opposition to the Obama jobs bill.

And that's what this trip is all about - "Pass that bill" - as even though the Senate sidetracked his jobs bill last week, Mr. Obama will keep pushing it.

These stops in North Carolina and Virginia continue a pattern of travel by the President to swing states for the 2012 elections.

Both of those states were surprises in the Obama column in 2008, as he won North Carolina by just over 113,000 votes; the first time the Democrats had won the Tar Heel State since Jimmy Carter did in 1976.

Virginia went to Obama by a large margin, as Democrats won the Old Dominion for the first time since LBJ in 1964 - a pretty amazing statistic in itself.

Now though, the numbers are going the wrong way.

"President Barack Obama's job approval and re-election numbers remain seriously under water in Virginia," said a recent Quinnipiac University poll, which showed the President neck and neck with the main GOP challengers.

Mr. Obama's job approval rating in North Carolina is also under water, at 44% approval and 53% disapproval according to a poll earlier this month by Public Policy Polling. But there's a difference in Tar Heel country.

"Barack Obama’s unpopular but voters don’t like any of the Republican alternatives either and that gives him a decent chance to win the state again,” said the PPP survey.

The last bus tour hit Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois and was ridiculed by Republicans and others mainly because of the stories about the super-secure buses used by the Secret Service.

Mitt Romney labeled that one the "Magical Misery Tour" - we'll see if the White House has a better chance to get our their message on the jobs bill this week.