Obama touts real world experience
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By Ed Tibbetts | Friday, December 28, 2007 |
Seeking to set himself apart from his rivals, Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama said Friday in Davenport he has real world experience and the capacity to bring people together and change a broken system in Washington, D.C.
Obama was in the midst of a six-day push to Thursday’s caucuses and with polls showing him, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards in a virtual dead heat, the Illinois senator sought to draw distinct contrasts with his rivals.
He pointed to his years as a community organizer, time spent overseas and his tenure as a legislator in Springfield and Washington to bolster his case he has the experience to do the job.
And he said while special interests need to be overcome to create change in Washington, D.C., it can’t be done with anger.
“We don’t need more anger in Washington. We don’t have a shortage of bitter partisanship in Washington,” Obama said. “That’s a recipe for the status quo. That’s a recipe for gridlock. We don’t need more heat. We need more light in Washington.”
Obama’s campaign said about 900 people signed in for the rally at the RiverCenter, which took place the same time Edwards was campaigning across town.
The stop also came a week after a rally had to be postponed here because of bad weather.
Obama was accompanied Friday by retired Air Force Gen. Tony McPeak, who said the U.S. senator from Illinois has the intellect and judgment to be commander in chief.
McPeak raised the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan, saying it proves judgment in foreign affairs is all the more important. McPeak reminded the audience Obama opposed the Iraq war.
In the last days before the caucuses, undecided and
persuadable voters are pivotal. And Obama made direct appeals to them.
Carol Stille, a 60-year-old woman from Davenport, said Obama won her over. “I think he can unite people who have a heart or a hope for change,” she said.
It wasn’t clear whether this will be the senator’s last stop in the Quad-Cities before the caucuses. A spokesman said Obama’s schedule through Thursday had not been completed.
Ed Tibbetts can be contacted at (563) 383-2327 or etibbetts@qctimes.com.
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