Obama rides ‘change’ message; fires back at Clinton

KEENE, N.H. – Coming under increasingly frequent attacks from his rivals with just two days to the New Hampshire primary, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is sticking to his guns by saying he is the candidate that can change Washington and fired back a few salvos of his own.

Obama spoke to a few hundred voters in the Keene High School cafeteria Sunday night, with over 900 watching the speech on a screen in the auditorium and numerous others listening in a classroom nearby, according to campaign staff. Before the doors opened at 6:45 p.m., the line of spectators nearly stretched around the school.

{mosads}Obama, hoarse from his many campaign stops but still energetic, offered his victory in last week’s Iowa caucuses as vindication that voters believe he is best suited to change Washington.

“There’s something going on in America. Something is stirring out there,” he said. “Something happened this week that people are finding hard to believe. This week the people of Iowa started a change that cannot be stopped. And in two days time, New Hampshire, it is your time to stand up for change in America.”

The senator used the refrain “in two days time” throughout his speech, challenging his audience, many of which a show of hands revealed still had not decided who they will vote for, to stand up for change.

Obama has seen a major bump in polls since his win in Iowa and is hoping to capitalize on that momentum in New Hampshire. In a USA Today/Gallup poll released Sunday, Obama bested Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) by 13 points (41 percent to 28 percent, respectively).

The senator also defended himself against attacks leveled by Clinton in Saturday’s debate and again on Sunday that he does not have the experience necessary to change politics. The former first lady had charged that his speeches present lofty ideals and “false hopes” that need a “reality check.”

Obama responded that it was the president’s duty to think about and hope for what has never been done before.

“We don’t need leaders to tell us what we cannot do, we need leaders to help us imagine what we can do. That’s why I’m running for president of the United States,” he said. “We don’t need to be constrained by the world as it is, we have to imagine the world as it might be.”

The senator was quick to strike back at Clinton. To rising cheers and without naming her, Obama equated Clinton to the Washington status quo. Voting for a continuation of the Washington establishment, he argued, would be a mistake.

“The real gamble in this election is to have the same old folks, do the same old things, play the same old game over and over and over and over again and somehow expect a different result,” he said. “That’s a gamble we cannot afford. That’s a risk we cannot take.”

“No thank you,” he added. “We’ve been there, we’ve done that, we’re going to try something different. We need to turn the page.”

While Obama touched on several issues, including energy independence, the economy, health care and the Iraq War, he focused on changing the political system and creating “politics that brings people together.”

Harry Lowenthal of Dublin, N.H. was one of the undecided voters at the speech. He said that while Obama “gives a good speech” and he believes in Obama’s goal to unify the country, he still does not know if he will vote for him.

Lowenthal is most concerned with climate change. He will not vote for someone that will not take nuclear energy off the table.

“If I had heard that nuclear energy wasn’t part of his plan to fight global warming, I’d vote for him,” he said. “That’s the only thing holding me back.”

Former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.), Lowenthal noted, is the only candidate that has said he is against nuclear energy.

Kathy Glimenakis was sold on Obama as soon as he announced his candidacy. Glimenakis, 52, has lived in Keene for 23 years and has seen many presidential candidates come through her town.

Obama “seems different than everyone else,” she said before the event. “His honesty and integrity appeal to me. I think he appeals to all people.”

Glimenakis arrived at the high school an hour and 15 minutes early to wait in the cold weather.

When asked how she thinks Obama will fare in Tuesday’s primary, Glimenakis was quick to respond.

“This crowd speaks for itself, in a 30-degree night in New Hampshire,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a crowd like this.”