POWER PLAY: As Sen. Barack Obama finally wrapped up the Democratic presidential nomination, his Republican rival took aim at the Illinois senator. In a speech given just outside New Orleans Tuesday night, Sen. John McCain portrayed himself as the true candidate of change. At the same time, he labeled Obama as inexperienced and unwilling to take an unpopular stand.

McCain kicked off his general election campaign by claiming he was the candidate for what he called "right change." Speaking at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner, La., a suburb of New Orleans, the Arizona senator acknowledged that the country was on the brink a major shift. "But the choice is between the right change and the wrong change," McCain said, "between going forward and going backward." (CNN, 6/4/08)

Obama Short on Experience, Says McCain

With the identity of his presidential opponent finally established, McCain was quick to launch an assault against Obama, citing his lack of experience

"Both Senator Obama and I promise we will end Washington's stagnant, unproductive partisanship. But one of us has a record of working to do that and one of us doesn't," McCain said during his Tuesday night speech. (The Washington Times, 6/4/08)

McCain didn't stop at calling Obama inexperienced. The Republican added that Obama had no record of taking a tough stand on an issue.

"[H]e has never taken the hard but right course of risking his own interests for yours, of standing against the partisan rancor on his side to stand up for our country," McCain said of his opponent. He also criticized the Democrats' proposal to pull troops out of Iraq claiming it would only weaken the United States and "draw us into a wider war with even greater sacrifices." (The Washington Post, 6/4/08)

Democrats Question McCain's Record

Not surprisingly, it didn't take long for McCain's critics to respond.

Arlene Holt Baker, the AFL-CIO's executive vice president, lashed out at the senator.

"McCain has shown himself time and time again to be a dyed-in-the-wool, right-wing Republican who's beholden to special interests and corporate lobbyists, and dangerously out of touch with working families' priorities," she said. (The Washington Times, 6/4/08)

Obama, for his part, has been claiming that a vote for McCain in November would be the equivalent of a third term for George W. Bush—a tactic that didn't go unnoticed by McCain Tuesday evening.

McCain Distances Himself from President

During his speech, McCain took pains to separate himself from President Bush and many of his policies. Responding to Obama's strategy of linking McCain and Bush in the public's mind, McCain cited a number of specific examples where he and the president differed drastically. These included:

• initial approach to the war in Iraq
• climate change
• treatment of terrorist suspects
• government spending

According to two of McCain's aides, the speech in Kenner marks the start of a "great debate" that will continue right up until the election. They also said that McCain's kick-off speech would be followed by a TV ad campaign touting McCain's central message: Obama can't deliver on the change he is promising.

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Question for Readers:

Do you think John McCain can effectively and, perhaps, delicately, distance himself from President Bush?