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
How much do you want to bet that fat bitch Oprah would be allowed to eat anything and everything she wants? Screw you Obama.
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How about the corpulent algore who’s one of the main causes of food shortages and hunger by encouraging the mandating of using food sources for alternate fuels.
Let him go hungry for a while.
“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.
Then he followed that with his saying “That is just not leadership”? Obama’s idea of leadership is kowtowing to other countries if they don’t like what we are doing? Again, I tell you, he has no balls.
The Maha comes on @ noon EST. Pass it around.
Classic Marxist. The Fixed Pie Theory of Economics.
“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.”
Yes we can! Yes we can! Yes we can! Yes we can!
It's a good question. And it's got a bad answer.
The reason is that, if a Republican were to venture such a thought, the media would go into full cry about his "mean spiritedness", "outrageous fear-mongering" and assorted other epithets.
Did you notice how quickly the media -- along with his fellow Democrats -- came to Obama's defense in The Appeasement Affair? The response to an imagined slur was nuclear.
Note that the President probably scored his point with most ordinary people.
But we simply don't have any other GOP office-holders who are willing to stand up to the fusillade.
The sad fact is that the MSM has become the arbiter of what constitutes reasonable political speech. And we're on the losing side...
hmmmmm I bet he will be eating whatever Michelle wants to eat & plenty of big portions... His house will be warmer then 72 degrees & that he has a darn Hummer! He does sound like Carter EWWW! If I have to watch how much I eat & & not be able to drive the SUV we already have I guess I will starve & not drive ....He sounds like Hillary with her we will be taking things away from you bs. I think he plans to take more away then she does & that is scary.
Guys, I’m 28, somewhat new in studying politics, and am curious as to why Republicans never call the Dims out on being communists...?? Is it because Repubs do have some communal ideas as well? If McCain just said “With all due respect, Mr. Obama, we are not a communist country..” would it not earn a ton of points??
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I wish I had an answer for you. I wish to God someone in the Republican Party would show a spine. Call the Dems socialism for what it is and fight back. Right now, and this is my opinion, the Republican Party is focused on rallying around McCain. They’ll say whatever to seem united and excited about their candidate. In the meantime what has actually happened is that Senator McCain has been highly successful in diminishing conservatives. He and his team know that a rock ribbed Conservative cannot vote for Obama, a Marxist, or sit out an election of this magnitude. Therefore, McCain can effectively tell us to go to hell without consequences. The Blue Bloods have the Republican Party in their hands once more.
I don’t want Obama. I fear him in office. But I’ll be darned if I know what else to do other than fight for conservatives at the grass roots level.
A lot of people are touting McCain if for no other reason than Supreme Court Judges. But my thoughts are can he be trusted? I’m not so sure.
Republicans arent communal.
When the pilgrims came to this country they were communal.
The Gov said go out and farm the land and you shall ea have an equal share of the harvest.
Well, it didnt take long for one fellow to say..”Screw this, I’m tired of bustin my butt, I get the same payoff if I work or if I play. I’m goin for a swim and a smoke.
Pretty soon the swimmin hole was full and the fields were empty and the Pilgrims were starving.
Then the Governor had an Idea. Private property rights.
He said You “Own” this land and what you produce on it is “Yours to keep” Well... the people busted ass after that and they had a bumper crop.
Liberals suck
Yep, that’s his answer. And to think a large part of our country is so stupid that they will vote for him. Oh, I can hardly wait for the food riots, the fuel lines, the no a/c in summer and no heat in winter. Finally we will be equal with all the peoples of the world and everything will be lovely.
Obama: “We can’t drive Our SUV’s and eat as much as we want...”
Which country is he from?
In re:
We haven’t figured that out yet....
VOTERS BEWARE!
Since when do we have to get permission from the world to be successful and enjoy the fruits of our labor?
This Guy and wifie are super successful, but are telling voters they need not to strive for monetary success, but do service for mankind, cut back, be nice little sheeple. That way, the whole world will love us---NOT!!!
vaudine
“And just think of what a wonderful man he is because he builds houses for the poor!”
Of course, you NEVER see those homes 5 years after Carter leaves, when they have been repo’s from the “owners, the wiring and plunbing stripped by the local Democrat Voters, and after it’s conversion to a crackhouse....
I can point you to SEVERAL “Habitat” homes right NOW that fit that desription, in Indianapolis alone...
Si Se Putzroy!
Eggsactly Batman! I had to check the source and make sure that the article author had not got his candidates mixed up. McCain has been parroting these same ideas! Looks like it really does not matter who wins. either way we are going to get an enviro-wacko socialist in the White House.
And does this mean Michael Moore with withdraw his support from the Democrats? He should be very, very worried.
Jimmy Carter + Hussein Obama = Jimmy Hussein Carbama
I hate to break this to you, but this country is full of people who think anything Barry //// is okay. If the Dems have their way (and they will) this country will be full of illegals with their hands out. We’ll all be poor and the government will tell us what we can do at every turn. We’re in big damn trouble and there is nothing that we can do about it.
There....crossed out the “says” as they don’t listen or even care what he says. As long as it sounds good and he is a democrat.
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