McCain belittles Obama on Iran

CHICAGO — Republican Sen. John McCain ventured onto the home turf of his likely Democratic presidential opponent Monday, slamming Sen. Barack Obama for his claim that Iran is not as serious a threat to the United States as the Soviet Union was a generation ago.

"Such a statement betrays the depth of Sen. Obama's inexperience and reckless judgment," McCain said.

The charge from McCain advanced an ongoing battle of words over how the new president should navigate the tricky shoals of Middle East diplomacy.

Campaigning in Montana, Obama defended his willingness to talk with Iran, adding: "Anything but their failed cowboy diplomacy that has produced no results is called appeasement." Pointing to President Kennedy's dealing with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Obama said "strong countries" and "strong presidents" talk to their enemies.

Obama lashes out at McCain over lobbyists

BILLINGS, Mont. — Sen. Barack Obama accused Sen. John McCain on Monday of running a presidential campaign bought and paid for by lobbyists and criticized the presumptive Republican nominee for waiting more than a year to address the conflicts of several key advisers.

During a speech at a high school here, Obama said voters should be concerned that "after nearly three decades in Washington, John McCain can't see or won't acknowledge what's obvious to all of us here today — that lobbyists aren't just part of the system in Washington, they're part of the problem."

McCain's campaign shot back quickly, challenging Obama to "shed light on the long list of federal lobbyists advising him on policy issues."

Over the past week, McCain has publicly purged his ranks of several advisers who have lobbied for countries and corporations in an attempt to retain his reputation as a reformer on questions of ethics and influence in Washington. But several former lobbyists, including campaign manager Rick Davis and political strategist Charles Black, remain as top advisers.

Obama gains another Washington superdelegate

Another of Washington's Democratic superdelegates is supporting Barack Obama.

State party Chairman Dwight Pelz said Obama can win the general election against Republican John McCain, and "is ready to be a great American president."

Pelz is the seventh of Washington's 17 Democratic superdelegates to back Obama. Clinton has five declared supporters. The rest have not declared their preference.

Obama also picked up two more superdelegates from Alaska Democrats.

Alaska National Committeewoman Cindy Spanyers of Juneau and state Democratic Party Vice Chairman Blake Johnson of Kenai announced their support for Obama on Monday.

Seattle Times news services