Obama, McCain take a local approach

Barack Obama and John McCain today each outlined plans to aid local communities -- McCain from a security standpoint, and Obama for public service.

McCain, in a wide-reaching speech to the National Sheriffs' Association in Indianapolis, pledged federal support for local law enforcement and condemned "overreaching" federal judges who overturn state crime-fighting efforts.

"Should I be elected president, I will look for accomplished men and women with a proven record of excellence in the law, and a proven commitment to judicial restraint," McCain promised, according to prepared remarks.

But McCain also vowed to fuse federal, state, and local resources to fight crime.

"Every state, local, and federal agency concerned with public safety should have access a shared repository of information," McCain said in the remarks, adding, "We know as well that tens of thousands of felons -- in custody and at large -- entered our country illegally. Why has it has fallen to sheriffs and other local officials to protect their citizens from these foreign-born felons? Because our federal government failed to protect our borders from their entry, and this serious dereliction of duty must end."

Read McCain's full speech.

Obama, in the midst of a Fourth of July tour on American values, promised to create a Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships to harness the strength of grassroots religious organizations that provide public services.

"There are millions of Americans who share a similar view of their faith, who feel they have an obligation to help others. And they're making a difference in communities all across this country," Obama said in prepared remarks at the Eastside Community Ministry in Zanesville, Ohio.

"That's why Washington needs to draw on them. The fact is, the challenges we face today – from saving our planet to ending poverty – are simply too big for government to solve alone. We need all hands on deck," Obama continued, according to the remarks.

Obama's plan, which would be an extension of President George Bush's program to allocate federal funds to religious-based groups, may come under fire from within his own party, according to the Associated Press.

The sticking point may be Obama's support for letting the religious institutions hire and fire based on faith -- however, the AP reports Obama only would back such hiring in the non-taxpayer funded portions of the groups' activities.

Read the AP story. Read Obama's full speech.