Obama Concentrates On Closing Arguments
Barack Obama dismissed a poll out today that put him well behind rival Hillary Clinton in Iowa. He said he was concentrating on making his closing argument as effective as possible.
"Did you have a good Christmas?" he yelled to a crowd.
At every turn, Obama reminded his Iowans that it's time for them to make up their minds, CBS News correspondent Dean Reynolds reports.
"Don't let this opportunity slip away," he said.
Obama's drawing power was undimmed by the two-day Christmas layoff. He turned empty halls into packed auditoriums and laid out his case for changing Washington, while mocking his political rivals who says have picked up the same pitch.
"Everybody now is talking about change. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then we're doing pretty good here," Obama said.
In Webster City, the call for change resonated with one prospective caucusgoer.
"It's time for a new look, a new way of doing things in Washington," said one man.
And in Mason City, Obama won the hearts and minds of at least two undecided women.
As one told CBS News: "He touched something inside me. He touched a passion inside me."
Another said: "To me he just seems like the candidate who will bring change."
As Reynolds asked: "Change is more important than experience?"
After a long pause, the woman answered: "Yes."
Experience, of course, is the Clinton campaign's calling card. But Obama derisively suggested what a vote for her would mean.
"Even though you know what's been done in the past doesn't work, stick with it," he said.
Obama also took some shots at John Edwards, mindful that Edwards has a history of a strong finishing kick that still has the potential to turn this race on its head.
