Obama, Biden Blast Back at Palin, GOP

YORK, Pa., Sept. 4, 2008— -- Sen. Barack Obama's original plan was to talk about clean energy today as he toured a hydropower turbine plant in York, Pa. But with so much attention focused on the Republican convention -- and in particular on Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's well-received and combative speech -- the presidential contender felt compelled to respond to the Republican attacks.

Obama spokesman David Axelrod said the candidate watched just a "little bit" of Palin's speech Wednesday night, but you wouldn't know it by his tone on the campaign trail today. The senator assailed the Republican National Convention as being devoid of any substance that would matter to the average American.

"If you sit there and you watch [the convention]," the Illinois Democrat said at the plant, "you're hearing a lot about John McCain. ... You're hearing an awful lot about me -- most of which is not true."

"What you're not hearing is a lot about you," he added. "You haven't heard a word about how we're gonna deal with any aspect of the economy that is affecting you and your pocketbook day to day."

"Haven't heard a word about it!" he exclaimed.

An audience of 37 million viewers watched Palin accept the Republican vice presidential nomination in St. Paul, Minn., just shy of the 38 million who tuned in during Obama's acceptance address at Invesco Field in Denver last week.

In her speech, the self-proclaimed "hockey mom" joked that the only thing separating her from a pit bull was lipstick. And sure enough, Palin was on the attack.

"We've all heard his dramatic speeches before devoted followers," Palin said of Obama. "And there is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform -- not even in the state Senate."

"This is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars America is fighting, and never use the word 'victory' except when he's talking about his own campaign," she said.

Some of Palin's claims in the speech have since been called into question. For instance, despite Palin's claims, Obama helped pass legislation -- in both the state senate and U.S. Senate -- and he has described "victory" in Iraq in a July 15 speech.

As Obama's vice presidential running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., addressed a crowd at the Virginia Beach Convention Center today, one woman asked him to promise to go after Palin, whom he will face in a debate in October.

Biden said that while he strongly takes issue with Palin's ideas, he will not attack her personally.

Biden, like Obama, said he feels the Republican convention has had no real substance.

"The thing that I was most impressed by, beyond her standing and how confident she was," Biden said, "was what she didn't say. She didn't mention the word 'health care.' She didn't mention the word 'education.'

Of the GOP convention speakers, Biden added, "Not one time did I hear the phrase 'middle class' part their lips."

Despite Palin's criticisms of Obama's policies, Obama seemed reluctant to directly attack his rival.

"John McCain is running for president. I'm running against John McCain," he said.

Obama dismissed complaints from the McCain-Palin campaign that the governor has faced sexism from the media.

"The notion that any questions about her work in Alaska is somehow not relevant to her potentially being vice president of the United States doesn't make too much sense to me," Obama said.

"I've been through this for 19 months," he said of scrutiny of his record. "She has been through it, what, four days so far?"

The day after her convention debut, Palin sent out a fundraising e-mail accusing "Obama /Biden Democrats" of attacking her family.