Posted on 05/18/2008 6:50:31 PM PDT by WesA
WASHINGTON (AFP) — Barack Obama set his sights on November's general election Saturday as he campaigned in Oregon, where he hopes to declare victory in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Obama has said Tuesday's primaries in Oregon and Kentucky could mark the end of his drawn-out battle with rival Hillary Clinton, and his campaign pressed home that message by announcing a symbolic return to Iowa that day.
Iowa was the scene of the Illinois senator's first victory in the 2008 presidential nominating race, and his campaign noted Saturday it is "a critical general election state that Democrats must win in November."
Polls show Obama leading in Oregon, where 52 delegates are up for grabs, while Clinton is ahead in Kentucky, a state with 51 delegates that has a similar demographic to West Virginia, where she won a thumping victory Tuesday.
His campaign says he needs just 17 more pledged delegates won through state votes to reach a majority of 1,627, not counting the "superdelegates," party officials who can vote either way at August's Democratic national convention.
Using a baseball analogy, Obama said May 8 that if after Tuesday's primaries "we have a majority of pledged delegates, which is possible, then I think we can make a pretty strong claim that we have got the most runs and its the ninth inning and we have won."
The official finishing line is 2,025 delegates, including superdelegates.
During a rally in Roseburg, Oregon, Saturday, Obama presented himself as the front-runner almost without question, attacking presumptive Republican nominee John McCain on foreign policy, the environment and healthcare.
Reviving Friday's furious row sparked by President George W. Bush's suggestion that Democrats wanted to appease terrorists, Obama said that not talking to North Korea and Iran had only made those states stronger.
"I want everybody to be absolutely clear about this because George Bush and McCain have suggested that me being willing to sit down with our adversaries is a sign of weakness and sign of appeasement," he said.
He also attacked McCain's plan for a gas tax holiday to cope with rising pump prices, which Clinton supports, as well as his other environmental plans, saying the Republican had consistently opposed fuel efficiency standards.
"For him to come to Oregon as an environmental president, but his big strategy is to do more drilling and to have a gas tax holiday for three months, that's a phony solution," he said.
Pitching his message to Oregon's environmentally-conscious voters, Obama called on the United States to "lead by example" on global warming, and develop new technologies at home which could be exported to developing countries.
"We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times ... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK," Obama said.
"That's not leadership. That's not going to happen," he added.
The Illinois senator also argued that the differences between his healthcare plan and that of Clinton "pale in comparison to the differences we have with John McCain," whose proposals would only work "if you're healthy and wealthy."
The escalating rhetoric between Obama and McCain has evoked the kind of campaign battles more common in the immediate run-up to an election -- and emphasized further Obama's pole position in the Democratic race.
But Clinton has vowed to keep fighting until the end of the primary season on June 3, and campaigning in Kentucky Saturday, she defended the plan for the gas tax holiday and accused McCain of having no idea how to fund it.
"Senator McCain said let's give everybody a gas tax holiday but doesn't want to pay for it. I think I've got the best plan. Let the oil companies pay it out of their excess profits," she said
Guess he wants France to like us.
You don’t even have a driver’s license. Why are you worried about where to get gas?
Rat are rats and they stay together and vote liberal.
“We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times ... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK,” Obama said.
Man, this guy’s instincts are all wrong for America. When did other countries get a say in how we live?
I'm sure you're right.
And I am sure Al Bore will alowed to keep his mansion at at least 72 degrees, and He and fat Teddy will continue to eat as much as they want. Screw the Obamination!
“Obama is going to trash this country, he is telling you as much.”
Indeed he is.
But when 75,000 people (count ‘em) show up at one gathering to worship him, what does that tell YOU?
- John
But do most of you know that when giving speeches he employs two identical teleprompters. One is positioned to his left, and the other to his right. Thus he is able to give the impression, as he appears to survey his audience, that he is speaking extemporaneously.
But when he is called upon to speak without help, he stammers and stutters and falls on his ass. Like he did in his last debate. Like he is doing now as he continues his stupid argument with President Bush over the matter of appeasement; a fight started by his own ignorant arrogance.
Does he not know that George Bush is not running this time?
Does he not know that allowing his nasty wife to speak in public is more helpful to our side than it is to his?
Is he not aware that Hillary is likely to screw him out of the nomination?
Woot!
I bought extra popcorn.
“How is Obama going to prevent us from having second helpings, keeping our houses warm, and driving big cars? You would need a totalitarian system in place to exercise that type of control.”
Obviously, you missed the posting (right here on FR) about the serious attempt to put centrally-controlled thermostats into California homes, which would limit how much control one had over one’s own heating at home.
They MEAN what they say.
I guess it’s almost coincidental that I happen to be reading Ayn Rand’s “We The Living”, which describes life in the Soviet Union in the 1920’s.
The parallels are more than scary.
- John
I think I have this figured out anyway. This Obama's plan to deal with illegal aliens. When they hear that they can't have an SUV, have to eat less and sit freezing in the dark they will think "I can starve een thee dark weeth no wheels and NOT freese to death, Beeg Eers." And they will all go home.
Nah I don't think so.. I think he plans to make us totally miserable. If he is for all these things then the White House should be only open when we need to entertain & he & that wife of his ought to live in a small shack & drive golf carts to lead by example. Like that would happen. He is planning to live high on the hog like his REV & I can see his wife being the Queen. She will finally outdo Oprah for once.
I was thinking that 72 degrees was to cool down.. not heat up. I was just thinking about buying a tent AC that someone told me about.
I hope you get a good deal on the AC. : )
90’s here. supposed to be over 100 this week. The AC for a tent does sound silly but if a storm comes in and you are without power for a few weeks it would be nice to have a place to cool down during repairs.
There you go. Taking me literally again.
Then again they do want to control the climate. Let's set the heaters and ACs to 72 and throw open the windows. Burn that Saudi fuel until we get the temperature right.
She’ll have to eat more not less. 8^O
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