Fitzgerald digs at Obama's bipartisan claims

Former U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald of Inverness came out Wednesday for John McCain to say Barack Obama is no reformer.

"It is not something he actually does when he gets in office," Fitzgerald said in a conference call with reporters. "I don't ever recall him working across party lines. He is a very partisan and ideological Democrat."

Fitzgerald said Obama "rode the Chicago machine" to power and never once questioned Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.

Fitzgerald worked for two years with Obama in the state Senate between 1996 and 1998.

At the time, Obama was in the early part of his first term and Fitzgerald was running for U.S. Senate. Obama served as the ranking Democratic member on one of Fitzgerald's committees.

The Obama campaign responded Wednesday by passing out Fitzgerald's comments from the U.S. Senate floor after the Chicago Democrat won statewide election in 2004.

"I think he may surprise the political pundits by voting, crossing party lines at times that you don't expect him to," Fitzgerald said, adding, "I see Barack Obama as possibly being a fairly moderate voice, more moderate than many people suspect."

Fitzgerald said Wednesday that at the time he was reacting to Obama's speeches on the campaign trail.

"It was wishful thinking on my part to have believed that campaign rhetoric," Fitzgerald said when contacted after the news conference. "That hasn't turned out to be the case."