Obama rallies churchgoers in Missouri

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ST. LOUIS (AP) | Barack Obama celebrated "active faith" as an obligation of religious Americans and a chief agent of societal change while speaking Saturday to a nearly all-black roomful of churchgoers, but hoping to reach far beyond them.

Making a less-than-two-hour stop in this battleground state, the Democratic presidential hopeful implored the thousands attending a national meeting of the African Methodist Episcopal Church to help fix national and local ills.

He preached individual responsibility, saying he knew he risked criticism for "blaming the victim" by talking of the need for parents to help children with homework and turn off the TV, to pass on a healthy self-image to daughters, and teach boys both to respect women and "realize that responsibility does not end at conception."

But Mr. Obama's main message was the government's duty to address what he said are "moral problems" - such as war, poverty, joblessness, homelessness, violent streets and crumbling schools - and to employ religious institutions to do it.

"As long as we're not doing everything in our individual and collective power to solve the challenges we face, the conscience of our nation cannot rest," he said.

He was greeted when he arrived in the vast hall by the most thunderous cheering, waving and screaming that he has heard all week. It was also his most enthusiastic delivery of late, employing preacher's cadences that were interrupted frequently by "amens" and "yes."

Mr. Obama repeatedly referred to his religion in terms that would be familiar to white evangelicals as well as his black audience. Mr. Obama has highlighted religion and his personal story over the past week as he campaigned in one-time Republican strongholds and talked more about God, country, and service than about rival Republican John McCain.

Earlier in the day as he flew from Montana to Missouri, Mr. Obama told reporters he was surprised at how the news media has "finely calibrated" his recent words on Iraq, and reaffirmed his commitment to ending the war if elected.

"I was a little puzzled by the frenzy that I set off by what I thought was a pretty innocuous statement," he said. "I am absolutely committed to ending the war."

On Thursday in North Dakota, Mr. Obama said that "I'll ... continue to refine my policy" on Iraq after an upcoming trip there. With a promise to end the war the central premise of his candidacy, the Obama campaign has struggled over the past two days to push back against Republicans and others who say his recent statement could be a softening or change in policy.

Mr. Obama has always said his promise to end the war would require consultations with military commanders and, possibly, flexibility.

"The tactics of how we ensure our troops are safe as we pull out, how we execute the withdrawal, those are things that are all based on facts and conditions," he said. "I am not somebody - unlike George Bush - who is willing to ignore facts on the basis of my preconceived notions."

The Illinois senator also said he and rival-turned-ally Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton plan to raise money together next week in a series of fundraisers in New York.