Va. Sen. Jim Webb Says Virginians "Can Trust" Obama
(ROANOKE, VA.) - Race still appears to be an issue in the presidential race in certain areas of the state, according to Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va. At a Barack Obama rally here today, Webb told the crowd of over 8,000 that he wants to address comments that have been made about "certain ethnic issues." He went on to explain Obama's ancestry, claiming that he has Appalachian roots.
"I would like to say, we know Barack Obama's father was born in Kenya. Barack Obama's mother was born in Kansas by way of Kentucky," Webb said.
"We are going to see on Election Day the 14th president of the United States whose ancestry and whose family line goes back to mountains of this area."
He added, "You can trust him – I trust him."
Webb also called into question John McCain's judgment for choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate. Although he noted that he's had a 30-year relationship with McCain, Webb said he doesn't understand why he would choose Palin.
"Do you really think that Sarah Palin was the most qualified person in the Republican Party?" Webb asked. "I don't know how many people here like country music, I like country music. There was a song about two years ago, "I know what I was doing but what was I thinking?" I think John McCain is probably singing that sing right now."
On the day of his 7th trip to Virginia, Barack Obama leads in most state polls. However, he warned the crowd today not to get overconfident by lead and called on them to keep working.
"We were up in Texas and Ohio in the primary. We ended up losing. You can't pay attention to the polls. We've got to keep making our case for change," Obama said.