Obama parries

Speaking in Chillicothe, Ohio this morning, Obama parried the recent attacks on his character and judgment by trying to turn McCain's slogan against him:

"Even as we face the most serious economic crisis of our time; even as you are worried about keeping your jobs or paying your bills or staying in your homes, my opponent’s campaign announced last week that they plan to “turn the page” on the discussion about our economy so they can spend the final weeks of this election attacking me instead. Senator McCain’s campaign actually said, and I quote, “if we keep talking about the economy, we’re going to lose.” So in the last couple of days, we’ve seen a barrage of nasty insinuations and attacks, and I’m sure we’ll see much more over the next 25 days. We know what’s coming. We know what they’re going to do.

But here’s the thing, Ohio. They can try to “turn the page” on the economy and deny the record of the last eight years. They can run misleading ads and pursue the politics of anything goes. But it’s not going to work. Not this time.

I think that folks are looking for something different. It’s easy to rile up a crowd by stoking anger and division. But that’s not what we need right now in the United States. The times are too serious. The challenges are too great. The American people aren’t looking for someone who can divide this country – they’re looking for someone who will lead it. We’re in a serious crisis - now, more than ever, it is time to put country ahead of politics. Now, more than ever, it is time to bring change to Washington so that it works for the people of this country that we love."

He doesn't ever say "country first," but the implication is pretty clear. First, he suggests that McCain lacks the courage to raise Ayers to his face, and then he implies that McCain is more concerned with the state of his own campaign than with the state of the country. I'm liking my theory that he's baiting him more and more.

Update: Also of note in the speech was Obama's announcement of a new proposal to aid small businesses with loans via the Small Business Administration and a suspension of capital gains taxes for small businesses and start-ups.