Back in Chicago, Obama chides McCain on affirmative action
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama chided an Arizona ballot initiative aimed at killing affirmative action Sunday and blasted John McCain for supporting the push.
"The truth of the matter is these are not designed to solve a big problem," Obama said referring to the ballot measure as he answered questions at a convention of minority journalists in Chicago. "But they're all too often designed to drive a wedge between people."
McCain said on Sunday's "This Week" on ABC that he supported the measure. But in the past, the Republican presumptive nominee he has called similar ballot initiatives "divisive" and Obama accused him of flip-flopping.
McCain was invited to the Unity conference in Chicago but cited scheduling conflicts in not attending. At the same event in 2004, President George Bush was booed on stage while Sen. John Kerry received a standing ovation.
The injection of affirmative action into the presidential debate comes as Obama returns from a week-long Middle East and European tour that garnered wide international attention and repeated barbs from McCain, who tried to paint the Illinois Senator as naive on foreign policy.
The two also sparred over Iraq war policy, with McCain saying Obama should admit the troop surge he once opposed is the ultimate solution to bringing about a peaceful Iraq.
On Sunday, Obama's first appearance back in the states, the Democratic presumptive nominee said agreement among Iraq's fractured sects remains the only solution.
Plus, he added, "We don't know what would have happened if we had followed my plan to begin a phased withdrawal."
He called his original timeline for Iraq withdrawal within 16 months "realistic."
Obama reiterated the need for more troops in Afghanistan and additional assistance from Pakistan.
Overall, Obama said the trip helped him "establish relationships and a certain level of trust" with world leaders. He also said the 200,000 people who attended his Berlin speech highlighted the international desire to see the U.S. move toward a more diplomatic and inclusive foreign policy.
"The world is waiting for the United States to re-engage," he said.
On the dismal economic front, Obama told convention attendees that another round of economic stimulus is needed to buttress the tanking housing market. But he didn't detail whether that would include $600 checks to every citizen like the measure implemented early this year.
As for affirmative action, McCain's campaign said the Arizona senator has always opposed it. Obama supports affirmative action that takes into account economic status in addition to race.