McCain-Obama race starts to take shape
"Campaign - Presidential"05/09/2008
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. Barack Obama began trying to rally the Democratic Party around him on Thursday. He struck a tougher tone against Sen. John McCain, saying McCain was "losing his bearings" in his pursuit of the presidency.
Even as Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton persisted with her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, Obama made a celebratory return to the Capitol, where he received an enthusiastic reception on the floor of the House in an appearance staged to position him as the party's inevitable nominee.
Behind the scenes, there were new discussions between Obama and the party leadership. The officials declined to discuss the substance of the conversations.
Addressing concern among some Democrats that Clinton would fight on to the national convention in late August, Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the Clinton campaign, suggested that the race would end quickly after the final primaries in early June, sparing the party a potentially debilitating summer-long battle.
Other close Clinton allies said much the same thing, evidence of a growing consensus that Clinton has another four weeks to make her case to voters and superdelegates but then should exit quickly if she has not turned the race around.
Obama made no public effort to pressure Clinton from the race, and in interviews with CNN and NBC News he praised her as a formidable candidate who could not yet be counted out. But he said that he was likely to lock up a majority of the pledged delegates after the Kentucky and Oregon primaries on May 20, and that at that point he could declare victory.
While he was respectful to Clinton, Obama appeared eager to challenge McCain. Asked on CNN about McCain's recent statement that the radical Palestinian party Hamas, considered by the United States to be a terrorist organization, would favor Obama's election, Obama said it was offensive and called it a smear. "And so for him to toss out comments like that I think is an example of him losing his bearings as he pursues this nomination," Obama said.
McCain's campaign interpreted the comment as a slap at McCain's age and let loose with a blistering attack on Obama's campaign style and character.
McCain, 71, is trying to become the oldest person inaugurated for a first presidential term. Obama is 25 years younger.
Obama spokesman Bill Burton said the "bearings" comment had nothing to do with age. "Clearly losing one's bearings has no relation to age, given this bizarre rant that Mark Salter just sent out. It's clear why a candidate offering a third term of George Bush's disastrous economic policies and failed strategy in Iraq would want to distract and attack, but it's not the kind of campaign John McCain has promised the American people that he would run," Burton said.
In the meantime, Obama continued to scoop up more support from the superdelegates. Reps. Brad Miller of North Carolina and Rick Larsen of Washington said Thursday that they would back Obama. Several more uncommitted superdelegates in Congress told Obama that they would be announcing their support in the coming days, campaign advisers and House Democratic officials said.
While he was respectful to Clinton, Obama appeared eager to challenge McCain. Asked on CNN about McCain's recent statement that the radical Palestinian party Hamas, considered by the United States to be a terrorist organization, would favor Obama's election, Obama said it was offensive and called it a smear. "And so for him to toss out comments like that I think is an example of him losing his bearings as he pursues this nomination," Obama said.
McCain's campaign interpreted the comment as a slap at McCain's age and let loose with a blistering attack on Obama's campaign style and character.
McCain, 71, is trying to become the oldest person inaugurated for a first presidential term. Obama is 25 years younger.
Obama spokesman Bill Burton said the "bearings" comment had nothing to do with age. "Clearly losing one's bearings has no relation to age, given this bizarre rant that Mark Salter just sent out. It's clear why a candidate offering a third term of George Bush's disastrous economic policies and failed strategy in Iraq would want to distract and attack, but it's not the kind of campaign John McCain has promised the American people that he would run," Burton said.
In the meantime, Obama continued to scoop up more support from the superdelegates. Reps. Brad Miller of North Carolina and Rick Larsen of Washington said Thursday that they would back Obama. Several more uncommitted superdelegates in Congress told Obama that they would be announcing their support in the coming days, campaign advisers and House Democratic officials said.