Obama hits McCain on meeting with Hispanic leaders

Democrat Barack Obama's campaign is trying to jump on a private meeting that Republican John McCain had with Hispanic leaders in Chicago, where he reportedly pledged to push through comprehensive immigration reform if elected.

The Associated Press reported that some of the more than 150 people in attendance Thursday night differed on whether McCain was trying to keep the meeting under wraps.

"This was not a secret meeting," said Rafael Rivadeneira, a vice chairman of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly of Illinois. "There was nothing he said that they wouldn't want people to hear."

But Rosanna Pulido, who heads the Illinois Minuteman Project, which advocates for restrictive immigration laws, told the AP, "He's one John McCain in front of white Republicans. And he's a different John McCain in front of Hispanics."

In a conference call with reporters, Obama communications director Robert Gibbs sought to portray the meeting as the latest example this week of double-talk from McCain because he said during a GOP debate that he would no longer vote for his own comprehensive reform bill.

Gibbs also cited McCain's switch to support lifting the federal ban on offshore oil drilling and what he described as McCain's attempts to soften his stance on overturning Roe v. Wade.

McCain is having a "tortured debate" with himself, and saying one thing to one audience and saying the opposite to another, Gibbs said.

Gibbs insisted that Obama reversing himself on accepting public funding in the fall is not a flip-flop like McCain's.

Obama is seeking more support from Hispanics, who mostly backed rival Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primaries.

Illegal immigration is a hot-button issue, particularly for Republicans. McCain championed comprehensive reform, including a path to citizenship, but the proposal stalled in Congress last year under withering assault from conservatives. Under attack for his past stance during the primaries by foes who accused him of favoring amnesty for illegal immigrants, McCain emphasized border security, saying he would not pursue reform until the borders were secure.

Obama has also supported sweeping reform, including a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants. "It's not that we will grant citizenship, but we strongly support requiring them to legalize their status and allowing them to earn their right to commit to this country and eventually become citizens," his campaign said in a recent statement.