Obama Switches Gears, Goes After Clinton

(CBS)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- During the past two days of campaigning, Barack Obama has repeatedly gone after John McCain and rarely referenced Hillary Clinton. Frustration over the release of Clinton's "Children" ad yesterday and the tightening polls, though, has caused the campaign to rethink their strategy a bit, and they are now lumping Clinton in with criticisms of George Bush and McCain in an effort to portray her as "one of them."

"Real change isn't calling NAFTA a victory and saying how good it was for America until you decide to run for president, like Senator Clinton did," Obama said. "Real change isn't voting for George Bush's war in Iraq and then telling the American people it was actually a vote for more diplomacy when you start running for president."

He continued to assail Clinton on her vote for the bankruptcy bill, the Iraq war, and allegedly siding with lobbyists. He then mocked her for mocking him.

"I think she was here, right in this room and she was saying, 'He thinks that the clouds will part and he's so naïve, he thinks he can wave a magic wand and suddenly everything will be great'," Obama mimicked. "It is true that I talk about hope a lot out of necessity, the odds of me standing here are very slim."

This was Obama's first stop in Rhode Island since announcing his run for the presidency over a year ago. The campaign likens Rhode Island to Delaware; a small state with just enough delegates to solidify Obama's pledged delegate lead (Obama held just one event in Delaware, which helped him secure the majority of delegates in the state). The campaign hopes for the same outcome with Rhode Island's 21 delegates, despite trailing in the polls there.