Obama goes on attack before cheering crowd in Chesapeake

CHESAPEAKE

Sen. Barack Obama brought a boisterous crowd of Hampton Roads supporters to its feet Thursday night by ridiculing his opponent's seeming inability to remember how many homes he owns.

Days before he is to be nominated for president, Obama said the incident shows that Sen. John McCain is out of touch with ordinary Americans.

In an interview this week, the Republican was asked how many homes he and his wife own. McCain said he wasn't sure and would have his staff check. "It turned out to be seven or maybe eight," Obama said, adding that McCain has called the U.S. economy "fundamentally sound."

"I suppose if you've got seven, maybe eight houses, the economy looks fundamentally sound to you," Obama said.

The Democrat then asked: "Are you better off now than you were when George Bush took office? If you are, then you should vote for John McCain. But if you think we can create a better future for ourselves and our children, then I ask you to get out and work for me."

His Chesapeake appearance capped a two-day campaign swing in which Obama vigorously courted Virginia voters but - at least to all outward appearances - he left the state without proposing to Gov. Timothy M. Kaine.

In lavishing so much attention on Virginia, Obama signaled that he intends an all-out battle with McCain for the state's 13 electoral votes despite its 40-year history of supporting Republicans.

But if Obama intends to enlist Kaine's help in delivering the state as his vice presidential running mate, he missed the perfect opportunity Thursday. Kaine, reputed to be on Obama's short list of prospects, appeared with the candidate at a morning campaign stop outside Richmond, but there were no public signs that the two were about to become a team.

The campaign did confirm that Obama and Kaine met privately at the downtown Richmond hotel where Obama stayed Wednesday night.

Many expect Obama's vice presidential pick to join him Saturday at a rally in Springfield, Ill., where the Illinois senator announced his run for the presidency in February 2007.

Thursday night's event in the Oscar Smith High School gym was open to the public, but tickets were snapped up quickly. About half of the gym was reserved for dozens of reporters and photographers. Some 3,000 people were in the audience, and about 500 more were sent to the school auditorium to watch the speech on a monitor after a brief in-person greeting by Obama.

"People were so mad," said Steve Evans, who got a ticket in advance. "It's kind of like going to a rock concert and then they cancel on you. It was a total disappointment."

Clark Stevens, a campaign worker, said the local fire marshal determines how many people can be seated in each venue.

At the outset of his remarks, Obama took off his jacket and rolled up his shirt sleeves. He paced around a small stage, using a hand-held microphone. At the end, he fielded a half-dozen questions from the audience on a variety of topics, from the opium trade in Afghanistan to No Child Left Behind.

In answer to a woman concerned about what she described as an erosion of civil liberties in the Bush administration, Obama promised that within the first 100 days of his administration he will review every Bush executive order and rescind any that are judged to be unconstitutional.

Two hours before Obama was set to speak, Yvonne Leonard of Virginia Beach toted a bag of books by or about the presidential candidate, wishing for a chance at an autograph.

"We'll probably never get this close again," she said, although she plans to try. She's going to Denver next week - without tickets to the Democratic National Convention.

Her red T-shirt read, "I'm fired up." And she was quick to offer reasons why. "What do you want me to talk about first? The price of gas? The price of food? Or my daughter living in Las Vegas where the housing market is in the toilet and about to be flushed? There are some suffering people," she said.

Bernice Weinstein, a 71-year-old retired computer software engineer from Norfolk, strolled into the gymnasium sweating after standing for two hours in the sun.

"I never believed I'd ever hear him in person," said Weinstein, a campaign volunteer. "I believe this country is going to go downhill, downhill, downhill unless Obama is elected. He's made us feel that our government will listen to us. That we will be a part of all the changes. He seriously cares about people, the environment. He will do something to help the economy and stop the war in Iraq. He will do something for wages. He's an honest, decent person who believes in governing by consensus.... This is the most excited I've ever been."

Yardan Shabazz, an English teacher at Indian River High School in Chesapeake and father of two, said he believes Obama will direct more money to education.

Shabazz said above all else, he sees the senator as a man of integrity who will help pull U.S. troops out of Iraq.

Rhonda T. Smith, a planner in Chesapeake, said Obama has a passion that excites her.

"He can relate to ordinary people," she said just after Obama finished speaking. "He is the first politician to really touch me mentally, intellectually, emotionally, and I've been a voter since 1972. His opponent just doesn't know us."

Pilot writers Julian Walker and Warren Fiske contributed to this report.

Bill Sizemore, (757) 446-2276, bill.sizemore@pilotonline.com

Kristin Davis, (757) 222-5208, kristin.davis@pilotonline.com