At a rally in Bangor, Maine, today co-Democratic frontrunner Barack Obama talked more than usual about the likely Republican nominee, John McCain.

“I honor John McCain’s half century of service to this country and you know, he has done some heroic stuff,” he started pleasantly enough. “But his basic proposals are to perpetuate the failed Bush domestic policies and the failed Bush foreign policies,” Obama continued to applause from the 7,000 in the Bangor Auditorium. Obama then spent several minutes knocking McCain on the economy, earmarks, and the Iraq war, before bringing his chief Democratic rival back into the fray.

“Awhile back [McCain] was interviewed and he said, ‘You know what? I’m not really good with the economy.’ He said, ‘I bought Alan Greenspan’s book. I’m reading up to find out what’s going on.’ You don’t need to read Greenspan’s book, you need to go to Nicky’s Diner and talk to folks and find out what’s been happening in the economy here in the United States of America,” Obama said, referring to the local diner where earlier in the afternoon he met with four locals to talk about middle class tax fairness. “You don’t need to read a book. Talk to some of those workers who’ve been laid off. Talk to those retirees who are, have to figure out how to pay for the heating bill. You know, John McCain used to oppose the Bush tax cuts. He said it was it was irresponsible to cut taxes for the wealthy when we were going into war. And then he started running for president and suddenly he’s for ‘em. I’m happy to have that debate, because he was right the first time and he is wrong now and we are gonna convince the American people that we need a new direction.”

The crowd erupted into applause, but Obama wasn’t done yet. “I am happy to have a debate with John McCain about fiscal responsibility,” he continued. “He goes out there and complains about earmarks, but it was his party, the Republican Party under George Bush and a Republican Congress, that presided on the biggest increase in pork barrel spending that America has ever seen, and that is what we’re gonna change when I’m president of the United States of America.”

He saved his biggest criticism of McCain for last. “And when it comes to foreign policy, John McCain says he wants to fight a 100 year war! ‘A hundred years,’ he said. ‘As long as it takes.’ That is not designed to make us safer. That is simply stubbornness. That is designed to try to make a bad decision look better,” Obama declared.

And then he remembered that candidate he has to overcome before he has that much-talked about debate with McCain. “By the way, you know, it is gonna be a lot easier for me to have that debate with John McCain than Senator Clinton ’cause she supported the war. So, you know, John McCain won’t be able to say that I supported the war in Iraq ’cause I didn’t. He won’t be able to say that I gave George Bush the benefit of the doubt when he was beating the war drum against Iran because I haven’t given him support on that the way Senator Clinton did. We can offer a clear contrast on foreign policy in this next election and move us in a new direction. That’s why I’m running for president of the United States of America.”