Obama Slams McCain For "Stoking Anger" During Rallies

Chillicothe, OH (AHN) - Speaking to a crowd in Ohio on Friday, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) said his opponent's "stoking" anger during rallies was the last thing the nation needed at a time of deepening financial turmoil.

"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," Obama said.

"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," he added.

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has launched aggressive attacks on Obama's character in the past week, repeatedly mentioning the Democrat's ties to former 1970s radical Bill Ayers, and asking the question, "Who is the real Barack Obama?" in speeches, interviews and TV ads.

Critics have said such attacks incited supporters to anger, and several reports have documented such incidents. The Wall Street Journal said someone had yelled "Off with his head" during a McCain-Palin rally in Pennsylvania on Wednesday. It added that in an Ohio rally the same day, a man stood holding a sign saying, "Obama, Osama."

Politico has posted video of a man during a McCain rally in Wisconsin on Thursday saying, "I'm mad. I'm really mad, and what's going to surprise you, it's not about the economy. It's about the socialists taking over our country." The man also says, "When you have Obama, Pelosi and the rest of the hooligans up there gonna run this country. We gotta have our head examined. It's time that you two are representing us and we are mad."

Earlier this week, a Florida county sheriff mentioned Obama's middle name, Hussein, during remarks at a Palin rally.

In his Friday remarks, Obama sought to calm jittery investors and Americans. "Now is not the time for fear. Now is not the time for panic. Now is the time for resolve and steady leadership. We can meet this moment," he said.

He also repeated his criticisms against McCain's $300 billion plan requiring the Treasury secretary to buy up bad mortgages, saying McCain initially wanted the plan to be funded by the $700 billion bailout bill passed by Congress last week.

"The rescue package included taxpayer protections that prevent exactly this kind of scheme. We are not going to solve the immediate crisis by going back and changing the law we passed," Obama said.

McCain-Palin spokesman Tucker Bounds has said in response, according to Time, "Instead of acknowledging the real differences that exist in this election, Barack Obama is using America's economic crisis to deflect legitimate criticisms of himself and his record. Voters deserve a real debate...they expect more than Barack Obama's self-interested calls to stifle any inquiry into his record or his past."