Durbin references Obama early and often during visit

Although not everyone in the audience was of voting age, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin's Tuesday visit to Libertyville High School could've been mistaken for a presidential campaign stop.

Durbin, who has beat the drum nationally for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, spoke at great length -- and in glowing terms -- about Illinois' junior senator.

He also talked about Obama's speech earlier in the day in Philadelphia, remarks that addressed racism and Obama's ethnic background, and criticized the controversial words of the candidate's longtime pastor.

Durbin held a copy of Obama's speech -- dubbed "A More Perfect Union" -- as he spoke to the students, teachers and administrators.

He urged audience members to read the speech and Obama's first book, "Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance."

Durbin also advised students to pay attention to the presidential race regardless of their political affiliations.

"If there ever was a presidential campaign to watch carefully, this is one," Durbin said.

Durbin didn't actually tell the kids and staffers to vote for Obama, but he only rarely mentioned the other Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Durbin spoke more highly of Republican candidate Sen. John McCain and his experiences as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War than he did of Clinton.

"He is an exceptional man," Durbin said of the Arizona senator, a former Navy pilot who spent more than five years imprisoned by the North Vietnamese.

Durbin also criticized McCain and Clinton for voting to invade Iraq in 2003. Today is the fifth anniversary of the invasion.

"I feel we went after the wrong target," Durbin said. "The real target was al-Qaida, in Afghanistan."