Obama says Republicans will malign wife's image to halt his White House march

Washington, June 14: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama today said that Republicans will apply all tactics to spoil the image of his wife Michelle in order to weaken his White House bid.

In a speech at a fundraising event in Chicago, Obama said: "They are trying to malign my image and make me into a scary guy. They're even trying to make Michelle into a scary person."

His reaction came after some Republicans targeted Michelle, in a similar manner to tactics used against Hillary Clinton when her husband ran for the White House in 1992, The Times reported.

Just one week into the general election battle, and despite Obama and his Republican opponent John McCain pledging to run a campaign based solely on the issues, it is already showing signs of turning into a mud slinging campaign.

In the past week, both men have deliberately distorted each other's policy positions.

McCain, the victim of a scurrilous smear campaign during his 2000 nominating battle against President Bush, said on Wednesday that he could not control every attack directed at Obama, and expected similar attacks on him.

Supporters from both camps have flooded reporters' inboxes with e-mails trying to make each candidate look worse than before.

Obama's campaign unveiled a new website to fight false rumours about the couple's faith and patriotism. The website, fightthesmears.com, the first entry counters a rumour that a video exists of Michelle in the pulpit of the church made infamous by her husband's former pastor using the racially-charged epithet "whitey".

The website states: "No such tape exists. Michelle Obama has not spoken from the pulpit of Trinity (United Church of Christ) and has not used that word."

Michelle is also being attacked for a comment she made in February that "for the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country." She later clarified the statement, saying she referred to the pride in political process.

ANI