Obama: McCain, Palin 'not change'

TERRE HAUTE, Ind., Sept. 6 (UPI) -- Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama Saturday told a town hall meeting in Indiana the Republican ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin are "not change."

Obama said Palin supported congressional earmarks when she was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, before opposing them as governor, Politico reported.

"I know the governor of Alaska has been, you know, saying she is change," Obama told an audience in Terre Haute. However he said Palin has "been taking all these earmarks when it is convenient" and now presents herself as "the champion anti-earmark person."

"That is not change, come on," the Illinois senator said.

The McCain campaign said in a statement that Obama was distorting the record and that he "has requested the equivalent of $1 million in new pork barrel spending for every working day he's been in the U.S Senate, while John McCain has never once asked for an earmark."

Obama ridiculed McCain's embrace of change as a campaign theme.

"Suddenly, he's the change agent," Obama said. "He says, 'I'm going to tell those lobbyists that their days in Washington are over.' Who's he going to tell? Is he going to tell his campaign chairman who's one of the biggest corporate lobbyists in Washington? Is he going to tell all the folks who are running his campaign who are the biggest corporate lobbyists in Washington?

"I mean, come on, they must think you're stupid."