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
TE then how are you going to drive & get food? I have no idea where my local gas station gets its gas from....The rest I can agree with you on but unless we all get horses & buggies we are going to be sitting home. Somehow that weasel will grab the internet too. Just watch.
Its Scary how complacent the country has become
It's getting really scary out there.
I left out hungry, this lunatic believes we should not have abundant food? Frightening.
Annual White House Conference on Mental Health a slap at Obama?
Bush/McCain try to defile my character, says Obama
Why this year, asks Obama. It was scheduled a year ago: White House
I've heard him speak enough times to be convinced that his Harvard education was a consequence of affirmative action admissions and permissive grading to push him through. The school was more interested in collecting money and graduating a minority. When he is not reading from a teleprompter, he stammers and exposes his total ignorance on nearly any topic. That's not the quality of person that should be a candidate for President.
It’s getting scary. People are going to actually listen to this man say they have to give up food, heat and cars and yet believe he plans to make the country a better place?????
Don't people see this is Reverand Wright Junior?
Hey Baraq Hussein, the Magic Negro! If you get elected I'm buying one of these and I'm gonna eat as many fish as I can run over while I'm driving in the river. And by the way Barry, I like the thermostat set at 68 not 72.
More like Jr Jackass
W00t!
What people eat isn't really important right now.
Wait a second - YES, IT IS!
Obama is going to trash this country, he is telling you as much.
:)
When he says “we can’t,” his supporters and he both know he means “people you don’t like.”
Any McCain operative worth his salt would run this speech in a loop with the Obama entourage mounting up in their SUVs after any random campaign appearance, and then let Obama make his mealy-mouthed “the Secret Service MAKES me drive in an SUV” apologia.
I wonder if we can get a set of “obama scoops” somewhere to measure out our reduced portions of grits and gruel.
I was in a hardware store last Saturday. A television was droning on in the background. The news babe was reading political trash. I mentioned that I was tired unto gagging of hearing the names of “the three of them.” About 7 people standing near were all in agreement.
Let’s see an ad with hungry children at the dinner table, wearing their sweaters and their breath condensing while dad says sorry kids, this is all President Obama says we can have to eat today.
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