Obama: McCain Would Serve As "Loyal Opposition" In Obama Administration

From CBS News' Michelle Levi:

(TITUSVILLE, FLA.) - Barack Obama looked ahead to a potential Obama administration and suggested John McCain would serve as the "loyal opposition, in the minority."

"It is important to have a strong opposition," he added, "keeping you on your toes" and "calling you out."

At the start of his answer Obama joked the questioner was "setting [him] up to get in trouble" possibly alluding to recent criticism from the McCain campaign that he is presumptuous.

"You know I don't know that there's that perception," Obama said earlier this morning. "It's not really clear exactly what it's based on. If I was presumptuous or taking this for granted, I wouldn't be working this hard this week. I'm beat."

Earlier today in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Obama addressed the recent bitterness in the presidential campaign and accused McCain's campaign of using "clever distractions" to divert attention from serious problems.

"The one thing we know about team that John McCain's assembled, because it's a carryover from some of the folks that worked on Bush campaigns and some of the Republican campaigns in the past, is that they're very good at negative campaigns. They're not so good at governing. And that's why if you think about this week, what they've been good at is distraction." Obama told reporters.

While quick to accuse the McCain campaign of negative campaigning, Obama argued his counterattacks are merely defensive responses.

"This is the classic dilemma of politics, right? So, we get 4-5 shots in a row. That I would rather, um, lose a war so I can win a campaign. That I'm not willing to visit the troops. That I somehow am you know full of myself. That I'm an empty headed celebrity," he said listing recent McCain arguments against him.

"Whatever repeated attacks have been launched this week. And so when I say, boy, that's silly arguments, then the press says, well isn't that being negative? Well no! I'm describing what their strategy has been for the last week, I would argue for the last month."

He assured reporters his campaign does not take the capacity of McCain's team for granted arguing that recent accusations that he is "arrogant" and "presumptious" is "something that's being fed to the media by" his opponent's campaign.

"It's not really clear exactly what it's based on. If I was presumptuous or taking this for granted, I wouldn't be working this hard this week. I'm beat," he argued, confirming reports that he is exhausted.