In Chester this morning, Sen. Barack Obama portrayed himself as a fighter who will help
Americans who are struggling economically.
 
He also said he is willing to put up his judgment on foreign policy against that of Sen. John McCain.
 
Obama took the stage at John Tyler Community College at 10:57 after hugging Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, his longtime ally, but said little about his potential running mate, other than that Kaine "got into (politics) for the right reasons."
 
Obama went straight into remarks about the economy, saying that Americans are understandably anxious. He spoke for about 25 minutes before taking questions from the audience.
 
During the question-and-answer period, Obama said he has good relationships with seasoned advisers on foreign policy, including former Sen. Sam Nunn of Georgia, whose name also has surfaced as a potential running mate, veteran diplomat Richard Holbrooke and even some Republicans such as Sen. Richard G. Lugar, R-Indiana.
 
On the economy, Obama said that when Bill Clinton was president, the average family income went up $6,000. During President Bush's administration, he said, it has come down $1,000.
 
"That's what this election is all about. Are the American people going to be sure they have someone in the White House who is fighting for them?"
 
Obama spoke outdoors in an informal atmosphere, strolling among trees and picnic tables. A large, suspended American flag was part of the backdrop.
 
Obama said McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, deserves respect for his military service, including his time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. But on economics, Obama said, "John McCain is offering more of the same."
 
He took aim at McCain for telling an interviewer recently that he was unsure how many houses he owned, indicating that it means McCain is out of touch. Obama also criticized McCain's positions on education and on the Iraq war.
 
Obama said his opponents are trying to portray him as untested and are misrepresenting his faith. Obama is a Christian.
 
In introducing Obama, Kaine, a national co-chairman of Obama's campaign, called the Illinois senator "a man who will bring about change at a time our nation needs it."
 
"The nice thing is that we're doing events in the home stretch in Virginia," a state that has not supported a Democrat for president since 1964, Kaine said.
 
The govenor endorsed Obama in Feburary 2007, becoming the first governor outside of Illinois to back Obama.
 
Kaine said he decided at the time that "We need somebody of excellence. We need somebody who's a unifier."

One questioner asked Obama to address Republican Karl Rove's recent remarks diminishing Richmond. Rove recently told CBS' "Face the Nation" that during Kaine's stint as Richmond's mayor, he "was mayor of the 105th largest city in America. ... It's not a big town."

Obama said today: "My mother taught me that if you don't have anything good to say about anybody, you shouldn't say anything."