McCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

WASHINGTON -- John McCain and Barack Obama told a major Hispanic organization Tuesday that they remain committed to passing comprehensive immigration legislation, despite its defeat in Congress and unpopularity with voters who prefer a heavier emphasis on border security.

The remarks by the presumptive Republican and Democratic Party nominees, respectively, to the League of United Latin Citizens were aimed at a broader group: the 9 million or more Latinos who are expected to vote in November.

In his speech, McCain lamented that his efforts to pass a comprehensive immigration bill -- one that dealt "practically and humanely with those who came here, as my ancestors did, to build a better life for their families, without excusing the fact they came illegally" -- failed after opponents complained that it would grant amnesty to illegal immigrants.

Obama, who spoke later, accused McCain of abandoning his own "courageous stance" on immigration to run for the White House. The Illinois senator vowed to make immigration a priority in his first year as president.

Obama says he's not flip-flopping

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

POWDER SPRINGS, Ga. -- Asked by a voter about accusations of flip-flopping, Democrat Barack Obama dismissed the notion Tuesday that he has been shifting stances on Iraq, guns and the death penalty to break with his party's liberal wing and court a wider swath of voters.

"The people who say this haven't apparently been listening to me," Obama said at a town-hall style event.

Obama blamed criticism from "my friends on the left" and "some of the media" in part on cynicism that ascribes political motives for every move candidates make.

Since wrapping up the Democratic nomination last month, Obama has voiced positions that break with the Democratic Party's left and have seemed at times to shade his own past positions on a range of subjects.