"Obama Touts Ability to Bring Change"

AP:

OSKALOOSA, Iowa (AP) - Democrat Barack Obama said Wednesday that while he thinks highly of former President Clinton, voters weary of Washington-style political wrangling want to avoid ``the same old thing'' as Campaign 2008 unfolds.

``I admire Bill Clinton, I think he did a lot of fine things as president and he's a terrific political strategist,'' the Illinois senator said in an interview with The Associated Press. ``What we're more interested in is in looking forward, not looking backward. I think the American people feel the same way. They are looking for a way to break out of the harsh partisanship and the old arguments and solve problems.''

Obama spoke as the former president stumped across Iowa on behalf of his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. The presence of a former president on the campaign trail was getting heavy attention, and the Clintons were campaigning on a slogan arguing they were best prepared to bring change to the country. Obama dismissed that argument, however, saying he thinks voters are looking to turn the page - and not return to an earlier political era.

``I think I'm in a position to bring about the change that people want,'' said Obama. ``Change can't just be a slogan. Change has to mean that we're not doing the same old thing that we've been doing.''

Obama's critics argue he lacks experience, and Clinton's backers point to her eight years in the White House and her tenure in the Senate as evidence she's qualified to be president. Obama dismissed experience that's rooted in Washington.

``What I know is the kind of experience I have outside of Washington as a community organizer working with families that are struggling, as a constitutional law professor, as a state legislator dealing with the very issues that affect people, people find that experience at least as relevant, maybe more relevant, than experience in Washington.''

In the interview, Obama declined to criticize Clinton directly, however.

``Hillary Clinton is a capable person and an experienced person and she's got a good track record as a senator from New York,'' said Obama, who said his history is one of pushing for change - not building a resume.

``I would not be in this race if I didn't think I had the capacity to bridge divisions along partisan lines, racial lines, religious lines, that was unequaled in the field,'' he said.

Obama cemented his status in the top tier of the Democratic field last weekend when he reported record fundraising of more than $32 million. But he declined in the interview to label the race a two-person battle with Clinton.

``What I'm confident about is, we're going to be able to run a very competitive campaign, we've got the resources to do it, we've got the volunteer base to do it and we've got the right message,'' said Obama.

He said the attention given his fundraising prowess overshadows the organizational strength he's developed.

``Obviously it's going to be hard-fought race,'' said Obama. ``It's not going to be just one or two candidates who are competitive. I think you still have a very strong field and it's still very early.''

Obama said that more important than the amount of money he raised was the 250,000-strong donor base that he's built.

``We've got the kind of support that can be sustained over a long period of time,'' said Obama. ``We are a change-based campaign, we are a grassroots based campaign. That kind of energy and excitement on the ground, I think that translates into votes in what I think could be a close race.''

Obama was joined by his wife, Michelle, and two small children on the campaign trail, moving through a long series of colorful Independence Day events, standing on front porches and munching barbecues.

``This is the family weekend for us,'' Mrs. Obama said, as the family loaded up into a recreational vehicle heading for another campaign stop. ``Family is first.''

In a brief meeting with reporters, Obama dismissed comments earlier in the day by President Bush, who warned against moving quickly to pull troops out of Iraq.

``The president has stubbornly denied the facts on the ground there for a long time,'' said Obama. ``That's not what that the American people are looking for.''