At a town hall in Roseburg, Oregon, Barack Obama took on Republican John McCain on both foreign policy and domestic issues - over and over and over again. All the while, Obama assured the crowd that the differences between Hillary Clinton and himself “pale in comparison” with differences Democrats have with the presumptive Republican nominee.

For the second day in a row, Obama took issue with George Bush’s appeasement comments as well as John McCain’s questioning Obama’s ability to keep the country safe. “If George Bush and John McCain have a problem with direct diplomacy, led by the President of the United States, then they can explain why they have a problem with John F Kennedy because that’s what he did with Krushchev, or Ronald Reagan, ’cause that’s what he did with Gorbachev, or Richard Nixon ’cause that’s what they did with Mao. That’s exactly the kind of diplomacy we need to keep us safe,” Obama said defiantly.

Obama then moved onto domestic issues, criticizing McCain’s health care plan and likened it to the president’s policies over the past eight years. “Like George Bush, he’s offering a plan that works great if you’re already healthy and wealthy, but if you don’t have health care or if you’re struggling to pay for it, John McCain’s only answer is a tax cut that won’t guarantee coverage and wont make it affordable,” he observed, adding, “I don’t think that the American people can afford to double down on the failed health care policies of the Bush years, I believe we need to end them.”

And he didn’t stop there - during the Q&A, Obama dismissed McCain’s record on fuel efficiency and the environment. “For him to come to Oregon as an environmental president, but his big strategy is to do more drilling and to have a gas tax holiday for three months, that’s a phony solution,” he said. “John McCain has consistently been opposed to fuel efficiency standards, to raising fuel efficiency standards on cars. How is he gonna meet any of these targets? Maybe he’s kind of imagining it the way he did imagining get out of the war in Iraq,” he said caustically.

For good measure, Obama noted McCain has not announced plans to fix Social Security or to reduce college tuition costs. Obama concluded, “He hasn’t said, because this is not something that he thinks necessarily is a priority.”

If there was any doubt that Obama believes the Democrats will unite to take on John McCain, he made it clear today. “So that’s the debate that we’re looking forward to having and I believe that whoever the Democratic nominee is, that the other person is going to be standing right next to ‘em making the case for fundamental change for America.”

The McCain camp, of course, weighed in on Obama’s Oregon Offensive, saying the junior senator from Illinois showed “weak judgment” by his willingness to bring the Iranian president to the world stage, and defended the Arizona senator’s commitment to increasing fuel standards, by sending out a list of times the Republican  has voted for strengthening CAFE standards.

When Barack Obama left his Eugene, Oregon, hotel this morning, he walked over to a dozen or so people waiting to catch a glimpse of the Democratic frontrunner. As he did, reporters raced over to get his reaction to the news that Ted Kennedy has been hospitalized in Boston. Kennedy endorsed Obama shortly after the South Carolina primary, and has been an active surrogate for the campaign, appearing at numerous rallies alongside the Illinois senator.

Obama told reporters that he intends to phone Kennedy’s wife, Vicki. “We are going to try and find out as quickly as possible what is going on. Obviously my thoughts and prayers are with Teddy. He is one of my favorite people, and so hopefully he is going to be okay,” Obama said before ducking into his waiting SUV.

The candidate then dropped by a Eugene hospital, where he again addressed the press. “I know a lot of you are interested in the situation with Senator Kennedy,” he began. “I have been in contact with the family. Obviously they are in our thoughts and prayers - they, I am sure, will be releasing some sort of statement whent they have a better assessment of what the situation is. You know, as I have said many times before, Ted Kennedy is a giant in American political history; he has done more for the health care of others than just about anybody in history, and so we are going to be rooting for him and I insist on being optimistic about how it’s going to turn out.”

Soon after, Kennedy’s senate office released the following statement which was sent to reporters by the Obama campaign. “It appears that Senator Kennedy experienced a seizure this morning. He is undergoing a battery of tests at Massachusetts General Hospital to determine the cause of the seizure. Senator Kennedy is resting comfortably, and it is unlikely we will know anything more for the next 48 hours,” the statement read.

On Tuesday Kentucky and Oregon will weigh into the prolonged fight for the Democratic nomination, and while it’s typical that candidates hold their “victory” rallies in one of the states where voters have made their pick, the Obama campaign announced today their candidate will speak at an outdoor rally in Des Moines, Iowa. Of course Iowa is the state that first made an Obama nomination possible when a majority of Iowans caucused for him on January 3rd.

Tuesday is also the day when Barack Obama is expected to have a majority of the pledged delegates up for grabs, and while some have speculated this is tantamount to an Obama victory, the Democratic frontrunner has said he would not declare the race over. When asked about it just a few days ago, Obama would only say, “We will declare that we have the majority of pledged delegates.”

But actions speak louder than words - looking more and more like the presumptive nominee, the candidate will return to the state the campaign described as “a critical general election state that Democrats must win in November.”

According to Men’s Fitness magazine (out May 19th), Barack Obama is not just the fittest politician in the race for the presidency - he’s one of the nation’s 25 fittest guys.

So you don’t have to wait till next week - here’s the magazine’s reasoning:

“It takes a certain stamina to endure months of 16-hour days in pursuit of the land’s highest office. Obama is not the first politician dedicated to fitness, but the Illinois senator starts every day with a morning workout, whether it’s machines at the hotel gym or a brisk 45-minute run. He’s also quit smoking. Obama can beexcused for enjoying the occasional state-fair corn dog because he mostly stays away from fatty foods. He’s also, as we’ve seen, a bit of a baller. Nicknamed “Barry O’Bomber” for his jump shot, the former high school hoopster now releases stress during pickup games—including one on every primary day. “He’s wiry-looking but actually pretty strong,” former Duke player and Obama staffer Reggie Love has said. “And he hates losing.He plays hard.” Now that we know.”

Obama on the move in Indiana

President Bush seemingly waded into the ‘08 fray during a speech before the the Israeli parliament yesterday, causing a firestorm of back-and-forth between the three ‘08 contenders. The offending comment - “Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along…We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: ‘Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.’ We have an obligation to call this what it is — the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history.”

While Bush didn’t name names (and the White House says the President was not specifically referring to Obama), of course it has been Barack Obama who has said on the campaign trail that he will meet with friends and foes - including Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Obama campaign quickly responded to Mr. Bush’s statement, saying it was “sad” that the president used his speech commemorating the 60th anniversary of Israel’s independence to “launch a false political attack.”

Later when John McCain “embraced” Bush’s statement, an Obama spokesman replied “It is the height of hypocrisy for John McCain to deliver a lofty speech about civility and bipartisanship in the morning and then embrace George Bush’s disgraceful political attack in the afternoon. Instead of delivering meaningful change, John McCain wants to continue George Bush’s irresponsible and failed Iran policy by refusing to engage in tough, direct diplomacy like Presidents from Kennedy to Reagan have done.”

Today, Obama responded with anger and forcefulness, while criticizing Bush’s “failed” policies abroad and hammering McCain for supporting them. “They’re trying to fool you. They’re trying to scare you. And they’re not telling the truth. And the reason is they can’t win a foreign policy debate on the merits, but it’s not gonna work. It’s not gonna work this time and it’s not gonna work this year,” Obama told voters in Watertown, South Dakota. “If George Bush and John McCain want a debate about protecting the United States of America, that’s a debate I’m happy to have, anytime, any place, and that is a debate that I will win, because George Bush and John McCain have a lot to answer for,” he said.

As evidence, Obama cited what he sees as foreign policy failures implemented by the Bush Administration. “Our Iran policy is a complete failure right now and that’s the policy John McCain is running on. He has nothing to offer except the naïve and irresponsible belief that tough talk from Washington will somehow cause Iran to give up its nuclear program in support for terrorism. I’m running for president to change course, not to continue George Bush’s course,” he said to applause.

Later at a press avail, Obama was asked if he took the White House’s word that President Bush was not referring to him. “For them to suggest that somehow they weren’t aimed – who’s this “some” that they were talking about? Is this some amorphous “some”? Or is this just a straw man that they were setting up? And if so, what was the purpose of the remarks? That’s being disingenuous,” he responded.

Of Obama’s South Dakota remarks, a McCain spokesman noted, “It was remarkable to see Barack Obama’s hysterical diatribe in response to a speech in which his name wasn’t even mentioned.”

Barack Obama took the stage this evening in Grand Rapids, MI, in front of more than 12,000 supporters and said, “I know that we didn’t have the chance to campaign here during the primary – and I felt bad about it. I didn’t have a chance to talk to you guys about the issues. I felt guilty about not campaigning and so as a consequence I decided that I would try to give you something special,” he said to applause. “I decided that on my first full day of campaigning in Michigan, that I wouldn’t be fooling around, that I wasn’t just going to do the same old thing. But I decided that I was going to bring out one of the greatest leaders we have in the Democratic Party – please give it up for my friend John Edwards!”

John Edwards entered the arena to thunderous applause as Bruce Springsteen’s “The Rising” blared over speakers (a Kerry/Edwards ‘04 favorite). Before he praised Obama, Edwards was sure to mention the other Democrat still in the race - even as the Obama supporters booed at the sound of her name.

“I want to tell you, I know this is hard to understand sometime, but it is very, very hard to get up every day and do what she’s done. It is hard to go out there to fight and to speak up when the odds turn against you. And what she has shown is strength and character, and what drives her is something that every single one of us can and should appreciate,” he said, noting she is a woman “made of steel.”

“She’s a leader in this country not, not because of her husband, but because what she has done, because of speaking out, because of standing up. And we, when this nomination battle is over, and it will be over soon – brothers and sisters, we must come together as Democrats and in the fall stand up for what matters to the future of America, to make America what it needs to be. And we are a stronger party because hillary Clinton is a democrat. We are a stronger country because of her years of public service, and we’re gonna have a stronger nominee in the fall because of her work,” he said.

And then the news all the Obama fans were there to hear:

“The reason that I am here tonight is because the Democratic voters of america have made their choice and so have I,” he said as the arena erupted. “There is one man who knows and understands that this is a time for bold leadership. There is one man that knows how to create the change, the lasting change that you have to build from the ground up. There is one man who knows in his heart that it is time to create one America, not two, and that man is Barack Obama.”

Barack Obama had equally glowing things to say about his one-time rival and promised to join in Edwards’ fight to end poverty. “The fight that John is waging right now will be a fight I carry into the White House for the next four years,” he said. “I want to make sure that everybody knows that he will have a partner in that effort, because that is a goal that I will set as President of the United States of America.”

Soon after, a man in the crowd yelled out, “Does that mean Obama-Edwards?”

Obama laughed, Edwards smiled, but no one commented on the question. The message, rather, was unity. Obama said, “John Edwards and I believe in a different America. Hillary Clinton believes in a different America. The Democratic Party believes in a different America. One America, where we rise and fall together as one people and that’s why we are gonna take Washington by storm this November.”

Ending months of speculation, former Democratic rival John Edwards will endorse Barack Obama at a rally this evening in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Edwards joins Bill Richardson and Chris Dodd as the third former Democratic presidential candidate to endorse Obama.

Stay tuned.

At a town hall meeting in Warren, Michigan - the candidates first trip to the state since last summer - Barack Obama was asked how he’d do in Michigan since he sat out the state’s January 15th primary. With the Michigan delegation still up in the air, Obama noted, “Obviously because of the whole hoopla around when Michigan held its primary, my name was not on the ballot and we did not do campaigning here and I just want to remind everybody that wasn’t my choosing. that was, we were just, what we do is just - tell us what the rules are and then we play by the rules,” he said, eager to woo voters in a state that will be important this fall.

As for how the Democrats would fare, Obama mentioned yesterday’s Mississippi special election, in which Democrat Travis Childers pulled out a surprising victory. “Look, [the Republicans] just lost an election yesterday in the heart of Mississippi,” he said, describing the region as “hard core Republican.”

This is the same campaign during which Childers’ Republican opponent aired ads tying Childers to Obama during the height of his Jeremiah Wright woes. Obama observed, “I mean they were trying to do every trick in the book to try to scare folks in Mississippi and it didn’t work. And the reason it didn’t work is because the American people know we need a new direction in Washington. That’s why we’re gonna win Michigan, that’s why we’re gonna beat John McCain here in Michigan.”

The Obama campaign did not campaign in any of the five states yet to cast votes for the Democratic nominee today (a morning event in Kentucky was cancelled due to Senate votes), opting to visit Missouri and Michigan, states that will be key for a Democratic victory in November. “I’ll be back because we’re gonna be competing in Missouri,” Obama promised voters in Cape Girardeau, MO, while taking aim at John McCain on issues ranging from the economy to Iraq to the environment. Surely signs of a campaign confident of a victory, despite getting creamed by Senator Clinton in West Virginia today.

But when asked by a voter at his Missouri town hall if Hillary Clinton might be his running mate, a more emure Obama replied, “It’s too early. Senator Clinton is still competing; we haven’t resolved this nomination - I haven’t won the nomination yet.” He added, “It would be presumptuous of me to pretend like I’ve already won and start talking about who my vice president’s going to be. I’ve still got more work to do.”

Obama phoned Senator Clinton before taking off for Michigan (the first time the candidate has been there since speaking at an NAACP dinner there last June) to congratulate her on her WV victory. The frontrunner didn’t get through to tonight’s victor, however, and left her a voice mail.

While Hillary Clinton will embrace her West Virginia victory, Barack Obama headed to a state he already won in this Democratic endurance match. The candidate visited Cape Girardeau, Missouri, where he gave a speech on the economy. In his prepared remarks, there was no reference to the Mountain State’s primary and no mention of Hillary Clinton - another sign the campaign is preparing itself for the general election before he has actually secured the nomination.

Today the Obama camp sent out a memo to reporters, where they admitted “there is no question that Senator Clinton is going to win by huge margins in the upcoming primaries in West Virginia today and Kentucky next week.” But the memo went on to say, “With 49 contests behind us and only six to go — including several states where we expect to do well — Barack Obama leads in pledged delegates, contests won, and superdelegates. And for perspective, while 28 pledged delegates are up for grabs this evening, Obama has won the support of 27 superdelegates in the course of just the last week putting him less than 150 total delegates away from clinching the Democratic nomination.”

Despite the campaign’s growing confidence in an Obama nomination, in today’s memo they are still trying to assure  some in the Democratic Party who are skittish about Barack Obama’s chances in the general election as he has not been able to win states made up of white, working class voters such as West Virginia. The lengthy memo then debunks what the campaign described as “five myths about Obama’s support.”

1. The race for the nomination has left the Democratic Party divided

2. The primary has hurt Obama with swing voters and Republicans

3. Obama will not get the support of white voters

4. The campaign has hurt Obama’s standing with women voters

5. Obama cannot win working class voters

Read the full memo below.

TO: Interested Parties

FR: The Obama Campaign

RE: West Virginia and Obama’s Strong Position in the Race Ahead

DA: 5/13/08

West Virginia

There is no question that Senator Clinton is going to win by huge margins in the upcoming primaries in West Virginia today and Kentucky next weeks. She has poured resources into both states and she, former President Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton have all campaigned extraordinarily hard there.

The Clinton campaign has already been touting their margins in these states – In fact, Bill Clinton said that Hillary can win West Virginia with 80 percent—and the West Virginia Senate Majority Leader said Clinton needs to win by “80-20 or 90-10.”  And in keeping large margins in perspective, it is worth noting that, while Senator Clinton will win big in West Virginia, Barack Obama won neighboring Virginia by 29 points.

But with 49 contests behind us and only six to go — including several states where we expect to do well — Barack Obama leads in pledged delegates, contests won, and superdelegates. And for perspective, while 28 pledged delegates are up for grabs this evening, Obama has won the support of 27 superdelegates in the course of just the last week putting him less than 150 total delegates away from clinching the Democratic nomination.

(more…)