Obama Says McCain Would Pose a National Security Risk
Obama is up in Virginia while McCain tries to hold on to battlegrounds.
Oct. 22,2008 RICHMOND, VA.— -- As Sen. Barack Obama continued to gain ground in key battleground states Wednesday, he sharpened his attacks against Sen. John McCain and issued a grave warning that a vote for his rival could put the country at risk.
The latest Mason Dixon poll shows Obama with a 2-point lead in Virginia, which Bush won by 10 points in 2004. Though he's mainly stayed focused on the economy in these last few weeks, Obama shifted his attention to talk about an issue of paramount importance in a state that includes a naval base, a Marine headquarters and the Pentagon -- national security.
Flanked by national security experts from previous Democratic administrations, Obama told Richmond voters that a President John McCain would pose a national security risk.
"As president, he would continue the policies that have put our economy into crisis and endangered our national security," Obama said.
The Illinois senator also sought to downplay the buzz made by his running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, at a Seattle fundraiser earlier in the week when Biden predicted America's enemies would test a new young President Obama.
"Mark my words, it will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy," Biden said in Seattle. "The world is looking. We're about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator president of the United States of America. ... Watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy."
Obama dismissed the comments as "rhetorical flourishes" but added that Biden's "core point was that the next administration is going to be tested, regardless of who it is."
Flourishes or not, Obama sought to prove that he is the best candidate to pass the national security test by tying the economy to national security.
"We need leadership that understands the connection between our economy and our strength in the world. We often hear about two debates -- one on national security and one on the economy -- but that is a false distinction."
Obama sought to emphasize this distinction by renewing his call for a withdrawal from Iraq.
"We're not going to defeat a terrorist network that operates in 80 countries through an occupation of Iraq," Obama said. "We shouldn't keep spending $10 billion a month in Iraq while the Iraqis sit on a huge surplus," Obama said.
Related Stories
ABC News Live