Obama Rails Against Attacks From Palin, GOP

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Obama, Biden Continue on the Campaign Trail

Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), and vice presidential pick Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) begin a campaign tour together as Republicans convene in St. Paul, Minn.

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He said he would "never take military action off the table" in the case of Iran. "It is unacceptable for Iran to possess a nuclear weapon; it would be a game changer," Obama said.

The Democratic National Committee also sought to minimize any appeal Palin may hold among female voters. On a DNC-organized conference call, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius conceded that Palin's "persona" is "very attractive and very enticing," but dismissed her as a candidate "from the radical fringe of the Republican Party" on reproductive and privacy issues.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.), who strongly backed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) in the Democratic primaries, asserted: "I don't think there were many inroads made in general with women, and none at all with Hillary Clinton supporters."

The effort to ensure that McCain will not make inroads with women got a boost from Clinton, who will make stops in central Florida on Monday on Obama's behalf. But the trip is not, according to aides in both camps, designed as a response to Palin. An Obama aide said the trip has been "in the works for weeks," and two Clinton advisers said she will continue to focus on issues, such as the economy, not Palin. If she does make remarks that touch on Palin, they will be designed to state a larger point about McCain, not to burrow down into a debate over sexism, an aide said.

Obama and Biden were not entirely on the same page on Palin on Thursday. Speaking to reporters in York, Obama waved off a question about whether media coverage of her has been sexist. "If they want to work the refs, they are free to do so," he said of GOP supporters who have made the allegation. "And I think the public can make their judgments about this." But, he added: "I assume she wants to be treated the same way that guys want to be treated, which means that their records are under scrutiny. I've been through this for 19 months. She's been through it, what, four days so far?"

At a town hall meeting in Virginia Beach, Biden called Palin a formidable politician and said he was impressed by her speech, which he said was stocked with "good, funny lines. . . . I'm glad they weren't about me. I was sitting there thinking, 'Whoa, zinger.' "

But he said some coverage of Palin has been out of bounds, particularly questions about her ability to raise five children, including an infant with Down syndrome, while barnstorming the country as a vice presidential candidate. "Whoever these folks are don't know any strong women," said Biden, who will debate Palin on Oct. 2 in St. Louis. "Some of the stuff said has been over the top, totally unfair, and I think it has been sexist."

Staff writers Perry Bacon Jr. and Anne E. Kornblut contributed to this report.