Senator Barack Obama spoke to about 600 paying guests at a fundraising reception in downtown Jacksonville, where attendees paid between $500 and $2,300 to Barack Obama for America. The Illinois senator spoke for about twenty minutes to his devotees, and noted the clear choice this November on issues surrounding the economy, health care, the war, and overall philosophy.

“Most of all we can choose between hope and fear. It is going to be very difficult for Republicans to run on their stewardship of the economy or their outstanding foreign policy. We know what kind of campaign they’re going to run. They’re going to try to make you afraid. They’re going to try to make you afraid of me,” Obama said, just one day after he he told reporters that Republican 527 groups will emerge this election and run negative ads during the election.

Obama continued that the Republicans’ message would invoke the Democrat’s race. “He’s young and inexperienced and he’s got a funny name. And did I mention he’s black? He’s got a feisty wife,” Obama told the crowd, which cheered.

“We know the strategy because they’ve already shown their cards. Ultimately I think the American people recognize that old stuff hasn’t moved us forward. That old stuff just divides us,” he said.

Listen to audio from that fundraiser here:

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When asked by CNBC yesterday if record oil prices could actually help the U.S., Obama replied, “I think that I would have preferred a gradual adjustment. The fact that this is such a shock to American pocketbooks is not a good thing.”

Republicans took note of this and responded as top Party leaders spoke out in Washington today.

“Yesterday we heard the Democrat nominee for president suggest that rising gas prices aren’t the problem,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a speech on the Senate floor. “The position outlined by the Democratic nominee shouldn’t be a surprise to most Americans, given that Washington Democrats have repeatedly refused to allow increased energy production here at home — even though, as we all know, increased supply leads to lower prices,” he continued.

On the House side, Minority Leader John Boehner dramatically added, “If Obama really thinks consumers ought to shoulder higher energy costs while we make the transition to alternative fuels, he should answer a simple question: how high should gas prices go? $5? $6? $10 a gallon?”

The Obama campaign calls the attack “ridiculous.” Said spokesperson Jen Psaki on the attacks, “It shows is how John McCain’s allies in Washington are trying to distract voters from the fact that just yesterday, they voted again to protect Big Oil’s profits—while we’re paying record prices. Senator McConnell knows exactly what Barack Obama meant: the huge strain caused by high gas prices is made even worse when they climb so quickly. No amount of partisan political attacks will change the fact that George Bush, John McCain, and their congressional allies have repeatedly stood with the oil and gas companies and against American consumers.”

Candidate Obama did not support the oft debated gas tax holiday that McCain proposed and told voters the “gimmick” would save drivers just a few cents a day. Rather, Obama has said on the stump that a quick fix won’t do. Back on the primary trail in Pennsylvania, Obama told voters “the only way we are going to deal with this long term is to reduce our consumption of oil.”

To do that, Obama would encourage and invest in green technologies and alternative fuels and increase fuel efficiency standards. “If we increase fuel efficiency standards on cars to 40 miles per gallon, we would save the equivalent of all the oil we import from the Persian Gulf. And imagine what that would do to gas prices if we reduced our consumption by that much. That’s something we can accomplish right here and right now,” he said at an April town hall in Wilkes Barre, PA.

Flanked by ten admirals and generals and a slew of American flags, Obama spoke about his readiness to be Commander-in-Chief — a qualification the Clinton campaign has said on the stump and in television ads that Obama does not possess.

It’s his judgment, Obama says, not necessarily the Washington experience that qualifies him for the role. “Instead of a serious, substantive debate, we’ve heard vague allusions to a ‘Commander-in-Chief threshold’ that seems to be about nothing more than the number of years you’ve spent in Washington.  This is exactly what’s wrong with the national security debate in Washington,” he said in front of reporters in Chicago. “The real Commander-in-Chief threshold doesn’t have to do with years tallied up in Washington, it has to do with the judgment and vision that you will bring to the Oval Office,” he continued.

General Tony McPeak - a retired Air Force commander and Obama supporter - said Obama has both the sound judgment and the temperament to lead the nation. “Good news and bad, Senatorn Obama was up in Iowa, maybe not so up in New Hampshire. But he was the same Barack Obama on the one day as the other. Steady, reliable. You know no shock Barack kind of guy. No drama Obama. So when that phone rings, when that red phone rings at 3am, you want a guy with this kind of temperament to answer that telephone.”

But then Senator Obama said that he thinks both of his adversaries, Republican and Democrat, are also qualified to be Commander-in-Chief. When asked directly if he thought Hillary Clinton was prepared, he responded unequivacably, “Yes. As I do – as I believe Senator McCain is, and as I believe I am.” He then qualified that statement, saying Senator Clinton has played politics with the issue. “Keep in mind though I think it is fair to say that Senator Clinton has deployed this as a political strategy. The disingenuousness of it was revealed when they started saying that well, maybe he can be Vice President. Which by the President Clinton’s own criteria that it means I must be qualified to be commander in chief. Apparently the thinking is that you know I might not be ready on day one but maybe on day 15 I would be prepared,” he said.

He cited numerous officials who served under former President Bill Clinton who now support Candidate Obama as evidence that he is ready. “The Clintons understand this. This was a last minute gambit prior to Texas and Ohio, because in their own terms that had  said that their campaign would end if they didn’t win,” he said, explaining that this strategy fit into the Clinton’s  “kitchen sink” campaign strategy.

But Obama does see a silver lining to this line of attacks. “This issue would have come up in the general election anyway. So we mind as well surface it now. I didn’t except Democrats to be making these arguments against fellow Democrats. They typically come from Republicans against Democrats. Certainly if Senator Clinton were the nominee John McCain will make the exact same argument against her. But if it’s, since I intend to be the nominee and I’m going to be running against John McCain, it’s an argument that we would have to deal with at some point,” he noted.

As he campaigns around the country promoting his wife’s social and economic policies, Bill Clinton never fails to add another dimension to his wife’s drawing power: she is electable among Republicans. In recent days, the former President has touted her ability to work effectively with GOP leaders to pass bipartisan legislation—a capacity that contradicts voters’ perception of Hillary as a polarizing figure. To illustrate his point, Clinton has continually made reference to John McCain whom Hillary worked with to pass bipartisan legislation to combat global warming.

Clinton has also talked up his wife’s electability among even the most “crusty Republicans”—particularly in New York state, where she won 60 percent of the vote in 40 of the state’s Republican counties during her senate reelection campaign in 2006. Clinton described the vast land mass of New York as mostly “rural, agricultural, and Republican.” In drawing attention to his wife’s legislative achievements and popularity among New York’s Republicans, Clinton’s strategy appears to be aimed at projecting her as a unifying leader who will reach out to all people regardless of their party affiliation.

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California’s movie-star Governor Arnold Scwharzenegger is throwing his support behind John McCain—giving the Senator his second major endorsement in less than 24 hours.

On Wednesday, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani dropped out of the race and endorsed McCain. Both Rudy and Ah-nuld accompanied McCain on a tour of a Los Angeles solar technology company Thursday. Afterward, a reporter asked whether the support of the governor and mayor do anything to help the Senator with the conservative wing of the Republican party.
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Gov. Schwarzenegger explained why he decided to endorse McCain, when just days ago he said he was staying out of it.
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The endorsement was McCain’s only public event of the day. That means he spent almost two days in California, and never held a campaign event where he actually met voters face to face. A McCain aide said the only thing the campaign wanted circulated Thursday was the image of the Senator with the governor.

The following press release was sent to reporters covering the South Carolina primary from SC GOP Chairman Katon Dawson:
Dawson: No surprise to see Democrats settle for Senator Obama

SCGOP Chairman confident Republican will carry South Carolina in November

COLUMBIA, S.C – South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson tonight released the following statement on the results of the South Carolina Democrat Presidential Primary:

“It was no surprise to see Democrat primary voters in South Carolina today settle for Illinois Senator Barack Obama.  Although Senator Obama is one of history’s most inexperienced presidential candidates, his opponent Senator Hillary Clinton abandoned her liberal candidacy here because our voters have never backed a Clinton – and John Edwards was too out of touch and too negative to defend his 2004 win on his own home turf.

“Tonight, I am more confident than ever our Party’s nominee for president will be overwhelmingly supported in South Carolina no matter who wins over the liberal Democrat primary base.”

Senator Barack Obama was asked by a self-declared registered Republican at his town hall event in Knoxville, Iowa, to outline the differences between himself and Governor Mitt Romney.

Obama chuckled, “That’s a long list!”

He then referenced an interview he said he listened to this morning with Romney. “Somebody asked him, has he ever cursed, and he said, ‘Well, of course, but not the real harsh ones.’ I have to tell you, I’ve used some really harsh curse words. So, the really good ones, the juicy ones,” he said with a smile.

He then got serious. “But that, I know, is not what you’re asking.”

Obama outlined some general differences he has with all the Republicans, before launching into some standard stump material, during which he talked about his “good friend” Warren Buffett.

“I would argue that most in the Republican field right now seem to be looking for a continuation of Bush/Cheney policies. I mean they basically want to continue on the same path on the war. They basically have taken the same posture with respect to the economy. They don’t seem to be very aggressive in solving the health care problems that I’m hearing about as I travel across the state. So I think there’s going to be a very clear choice between myself and any of the Republicans, whether it’s Mitt Romney or John McCain or others.”