"Obama Thanks McCain for Admonishing Supporters"

At a campaign event in Philadelphia, Senator Barack Obama acknowledged Senator John McCain’s effort to “tone down the rhetoric” during one of his own rallies on Friday. (Photo: Ozier Muhammad/The New York Times)
NY Times:

PHILADELPHIA – The morning after Senator John McCain tried to tamp down heated comments from his supporters at a town-hall-style meeting in Minnesota, Senator Barack Obama offered him a quick nod of thanks.

“I want to acknowledge that Senator McCain tried to tone down the rhetoric in his town hall meeting yesterday,” Mr. Obama said, speaking at an early-morning rally in North Philadelphia. “I appreciated his reminder that we can disagree while still being respectful of each other. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – Senator McCain has served this country with honor, and he deserves our thanks for that.”

But in the next breath, Mr. Obama criticized Mr. McCain and Rick Davis, Mr. McCain’s campaign manager, for his comment on Friday that the campaign is “not a CNBC news show on the stock market.”

“When it comes to the economy, and what families here in Pennsylvania are going through, Senator McCain still doesn’t get it,” Mr. Obama said. “Yesterday, Senator McCain’s campaign manager said that Senator McCain wasn’t talking about the market because there’s not much a candidate for president can say –they aren’t sure what he’d say each day even if he did talk about it.”

His remarks kicked off what promised to be a busy morning of campaigning designed to boost voter turnout in Philadelphia, with four rallies in quick succession throughout the city. Mr. Obama began with a rally before a mostly African-American audience at Progress Plaza in North Philadelphia.

He spent Friday evening appearing at his two biggest fund-raisers in the city since June, taking in more than $5 million.

Barack Obama