Obama Eager to Take On McCain at Joint Stump Stops

Though he hasn’t yet clinched the nomination, Barack Obama indicated yesterday he was eager to campaign with John McCain and to hold joint town hall meetings with his Republican rival in the run-up to the election, Reuters reports. “I think that's a great idea," said Obama, referring to joint appearances. "Should I be the nominee, if I have the opportunity to debate substantive issues with John McCain, that's something I'm going to welcome.”

McCain held unusual joint town hall meetings with rival Bill Bradley in the 2000 election. Obama said he's eager to point out the "clear" differences between his and McCain's positions. An Obama-McCain race would be “a concrete contest around very specific plans for how we improve the lives of Americans and our vision for the future,” he said. (More Barack Obama stories.)