Obama: Clinton too connected

Candidate woos Democrats in Greensboro appearance

GREENSBORO -- Sen. Barack Obama said Wednesday that his chief rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was too closely tied to the Washington status quo to bring about change.

"She takes more money from lobbyists and special interests than any candidate, including John McCain," Obama told about 2,400 people at a town hall meeting in War Memorial Auditorium. "That shows she doesn't have the sense that things need to change in Washington."

During a 90-minute speech and question-and-answer session, Obama criticized McCain's stance on the housing crisis, talked about his Christian faith and sought to downplay the provocative comments of his former pastor.

This was Obama's second trip to North Carolina in a week, and it underscored the intensifying pace leading to the May 6 Democratic presidential primary. Clinton will make a campaign swing today through Wake County, Fayetteville and Winston-Salem. Her spouse, former President Clinton, will tour the western part of the state Friday, and their daughter, Chelsea Clinton, is expected to attend a Young Democrats Club meeting Saturday at the Sheraton Imperial in Research Triangle Park.

Meanwhile, the state Democratic Party changed the date and location of its annual Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner to May 2 at Raleigh's Dorton Arena, anticipating that both Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton will attend.

Speaking before a biracial crowd that included many college students and that had the atmosphere of a pep rally, Obama called Clinton "a smart and very capable person."

He warned Democrats to be careful that "the tone" of the Democratic campaign doesn't become so negative that it helps Republicans in the fall.

But Obama didn't spare any criticism of McCain, the Arizona senator and presumptive Republican nominee.

In a speech Monday in California, McCain warned against government overreaction to the mortgage crisis and market turmoil, saying that it is not the duty of the taxpayers to bail out big banks or small borrowers who act irresponsibly.

Obama called McCain's response "sit back and watch."

"John McCain has admitted he doesn't understand the economy as well as he should, and yesterday he proved it in giving a speech on the housing crisis," Obama said.

"In his entire speech yesterday, he offered not one policy, not one idea, not one bit of relief to the nearly 35,000 North Carolinians who were forced to foreclose on their dreams in the last three months."

The McCain campaign called Obama's comments "old attack-and-smear tactics."

"Barack Obama's diagnosis for our housing market is clearly that Barack Obama knows best -- raise taxes on hardworking Americans and give government a prescription to spend," McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said.

During a question-and-answer period, Obama was asked about his religious beliefs.

"I'm a Christian," Obama said. "What that means for me is that I believe Jesus Christ died for my sins. Through his grace and his mercy and his power, through him I can achieve everlasting life."

Obama also said he believed in a gospel where it mattered what you did on Earth, including helping the poor and being a good steward of the Earth.

He said he believed that many Jews and Muslims and nonbelievers are good people whose beliefs should be respected.

Obama said his mother was a free thinker and a good person. "I'm sure she is in heaven."

Obama said he hoped people would not be distracted from the important issues by a few "stupid" comments made by his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

Wright's harsh condemnation of the United States for its treatment of blacks and incendiary charges of white racism have plagued Obama, prompting him last week to make a major speech on race relations.

"This is somebody that was preaching three sermons -- at least -- a week for 30 years, and it got boiled down to a half-minute sound clip and just played over and over and over again, partly because it spoke to some of the racial divisions we have in this country," Obama said.

He said everyone is welcome in his Chicago church and noted that the United Church of Christ denomination to which he belongs is more than 90 percent white.