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'It's about lifting the country up'
sbeveridge@observer-reporter.com
Illinois Sen. Barack Obama said Tuesday it's time to move beyond the political attacks claiming he is an elitist because of his comments a week ago about a bitter small-town America.
"It's politics," Obama said, responding to a question from one of nearly 300 veterans who were invited to a chat session that afternoon with the Democratic candidate for the White House at Washington & Jefferson College.
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Clinton has claimed that Obama is out of touch with rural America since he told California donors that residents of small towns in states such in Pennsylvania "cling" to guns and religion over their bitterness of lost jobs. He later said he used a poor choice of words.
"This is what we do in politics when we start getting behind in the races and we start going on with attacks," Obama said.
"We've got some of the biggest problems in a generation, and they are mounting on the international front, the domestic front," Obama said at W&J. "It's about lifting the country up."
Obama was on stage for about an hour, repeating his plans to withdraw troops from Iraq and improve the Veterans Administration's treatment of war casualties. He spoke briefly about his grandfather's service in World War II before taking nine questions from the audience and hearing one man speak of his devotion to the senator before the two exchanged a hug.
Obama said the VA is underfunded to the point where corners are cut and injured soldiers encounter delays in being placed on casualty lists. Spouses have lost jobs, he said, while caring for their injured husbands or wives at veterans hospitals.
"Far too many of the troops, far too many of the families are finding the war doesn't end when they come home. The sacred trust does not end when the uniform comes off."
Obama said that on his first day in office, he would call in the top military strategists and issue an order to have the troops withdrawn from Iraq within 16 months, in stages.
He criticized President Bush for waging a war with unreliable intelligence and greatly underestimating that Iraq would cost nearly one trillion dollars.
"We have to be as careful getting out as we were careless getting in."
Obama said President George H.W. Bush "did it right" when he waged the first war in Iraq with global support.
"We came out stronger than when we went in. This is not a partisan issue."
The senator also said he supports increasing global humanitarian relief efforts, including service to the Peace Corps in such places in Afghanistan to teach farmers how to grow crops other than poppies "so that's what you see for the voice of America."
At the same time, Obama said, he supports increasing the number of ground troops to train in guerrilla warfare for fierce battles in failed states.
Obama is waging a bitter campaign against Clinton, who was leading him by six points Tuesday in the latest Quinnipiac University poll.
Just before his meeting, Obama stopped briefly to speak to a couple of hundred students on the rear plaza of the student union, urging them to become engaged in the political process.
"Nothing happens from the top down; it happens from the bottom up," Obama said, noting that large social movements, from women's liberation to the right to organize unions, came about because of grassroots efforts that involved many young adults.
"All of these things happened because young people didn't view the world as it is, but as it might be," he said.
It took about 15 minutes for Obama to leave the room because a crowd of supporters wanted to shake his hand.
"He's awesome," said Regina Urso, 63, of North Strabane Township, who attended the meeting. "He just sort of shakes your soul."
Urso said she hasn't seen a presidential candidate with Obama's charisma since Robert Kennedy ran for the office in 1968.
"It was wonderful," said Wanda Magone, a senior citizen from Monongahela, following the event. "When I came, I was undecided. Now, I'm going to vote for him."
Also read Mike Jones' story on what spectators thought of Sen. Obama's visit. Click here to read the story.
Staff writer Michael Bradwell contributed to this report.
