Obama Takes On Both Clinton and McCain

From CBS News' Maria Gavrilovic


GREENSBORO, N.C. – Pulling no punches on his first day back on the campaign trail after his vacation, Barack Obama attacked John McCain’s economic plan and Hillary Clinton’s reluctance to give up power.

“This has been a hard fought contest and the status quo is not going to give up easily,” Obama said. “Not just the Republican status quo but the Democratic status quo. People have been in power a long time and are used to being in power. They don’t like change. They are going to resist it.”

The Obama campaign has repeatedly said that they will not call for Clinton to drop out of the race and that the decision would be hers. Obama called Clinton “smart and capable,” and said he wants to ensure that the tone of the campaign will help a Democrat become elected in November. But he then went on to accuse Clinton of taking large sums of money from lobbyists. “When she takes more money from lobbyists and special interests than any candidate including John McCain that shows that she doesn’t have a sense that we have got to change how business is done in Washington.”

Obama also fiercely criticized John McCain’s economic policy, accusing him of not presenting solutions to the current crisis and just wanting to “sit back” and watch what happens. “In his entire speech yesterday he offered not one policy, not one idea, not one bit of relief for the nearly thirty five thousand North Carolinians who were forced to foreclose on their dream in the last few months,” Obama said. “Not one single idea or a single policy prescription.”

Although he was not asked about Rev. Jeremiah Wright specifically, Obama spoke of his former pastor and the Trinity United Church of Christ in an answer to a question on religion. He described his church as “welcoming,” but again condemned Wright’s inflammatory comments and said that he hopes voters will not be distracted by the controversy. “We cannot solve the problems of America if every time somebody somewhere says something stupid that everybody gets up in arms, that we forget about the war in Iraq or the economy or we forget about things that are going to make a difference in our children’s lives,” Obama said. “I don't want that kind of politics.”