Transcript of Obama Presser in Milwaukee, Oregon

Barack Obama Press Avail

5.18.08

Milwaukee, Oregon

BO: The main thing is I wanted to say I talked to Ted Kennedy this morning. He sounded great. He sounded like his usual old self, so my sense is that everyone is optimistic about the prognosis. People are still concerned figuring out what exactly happened. I'll let you talk to the Kennedy family about that. I was just thrilled that Teddy is back on the mend and I suspect will be on the floor of the Senate immediately to start doing the people's business. There's not a better Senator, or better friend, or a better supporter for me than Ted Kennedy. So I'm just relieved [inaudible]. And with that let me open it up for questions.

Q: So why did you pick Iowa for Tuesday night?

BO: We thought it was a terrific way to bring things full circle. We still have some contests left, but if Kentucky and Oregon go as we hope than we think we will have a majority of pledged delegates at that point. That's a pretty significant mark. That means that after contests in every state, or almost every state and the territories that we are we have received the majority of delegates who are assigned by voters.

Q: Does that mean that you declare victory?

BO It doesn't mean we declare victory because I won't be the nominee until we have enough – combination of pledged delegates and super delegates to hit the mark. What it does mean is that the voters have given us the majority of delegates that they can assign, and obviously that is what this primary and caucus process is all about.

Q: [inaudible] Politico quoted an advisory saying you would declare victory. What's changed since then?

BO: Nothing's changed. I don't think that there's anything contradictory on this. What we have consistently said is we'll have the majority of pledged delegates at that point and obviously we will make the argument to superdelegates who remain that we should be the nominee. But until those pledged delegates actually commit to us we will not have achieved that number.

Q: Senator, Senator McCain has lost four or five staffers now because of lobbying activity. Can you give your take on what the American people should take from that?

BO: It appears that John McCain is very much a creature of Washington and one of the things that we have said at the outset of this campaign is that if we are going to change policies, if we are going to deliver on universal healthcare or have an energy policy that over the long term could bring down gas prices that we were going to have to change how Washington works. We can't have special interests dictating what's happening there. And that's why I said at the beginning I wouldn't take PAC money and I wouldn't take money from Federal lobbyists. And it does appear that over the last several weeks John McCain keeps on having problems with his top advisors being lobbyists in some cases for foreign governments or other big interests that are doing business in Washington. That I don't think represents the kind of change that the American people are looking for.

Q: [inaudible] Question about Spain and reaching out to Spain?

BO: I am looking forward to – should I end up being the President – to reaching out to our allies, obviously Spain is a long standing ally of the United States. I think it is very important for the United States to recognize, that we should not dictate foreign policy, but we should seek partnerships with those who share our values, share our ideals, believe in democracy, believe in human rights and want to defeat terrorism. But also want to spread prosperity around the world. The Spanish government is going to be an ally of ours in that process and I want to make sure that I get a chance to understand what are the problems facing the people of Spain so that they don't view US foreign policy as just a one way street, its got to be a 2 way street where the interests of both countries are being served.

Q: [inaudible] Question about anti-trust policy? Are there any specific sectors or companies you are particularly concerned about?

BO: No, I don't want to pre-judge this. But what I will say is that if you talk to members of the Anti-Trust Division of the Justice Department, they're career folks who came in before George Bush took office. There's a sense that there's not a real interest in anti- trust prosecutions. Now, when you live in a globalized economy, and we probably have to update how we approach anti-trust, to figure out what is truly uncompetitive behavior on the part of monopolies or oligopolies, and what are just big successful companies that need to be big in order to compete internationally. So, and I'm sure we're going to have to update how we approach anti-trust, but the principle that the government has a role to play in regulating the markets so that we don't see barriers of entry for - in various industries, and that consumers can count on genuine competition, I think that's an important principle to maintain.

BO: You know, Senator Clinton is out there campaigning actively to be president of the United States, and we haven't had conversations with them at all.

Q: [inaudible] Question about campaigning in Kentucky and why he is not returning? Has he given up on the state?

BO: No, I don't give up on things - we have got to make choices. And I can't be everywhere at once.