WKYC Exclusive Interview: Senator Obama reacts to Wall Street meltdown and new Ohio Poll numbers

CLEVELAND -- Senator Barack Obama blames Monday's Wall Street crisis on the lack of oversight by the President George Bush White House administration.

He claims John McCain's calling the economy still "fundamentally strong" shows how out of his touch McCain is.

Obama made the comments in an exclusive satellite interview with Channel 3 News Senior Political Correspondent Tom Beres.

"For him to repeat the economy is fundamentally strong on a day when he knows thousands of people lost jobs, and you're gonna see credit markets tighten and make it harder for Ohio businesses to borrow, that tells me he doesn't know much about the economy," Obama said.

He reacted to two polls, by Survey USA and Suffolk University, which show him and Joe Biden trailing the McCain/Palin ticket.

"I was not too concerned when we were up by four points. I'm not too concerned when we're down by four points," he said.

He disagreed with pundits who believe the race in Ohio may depend on how well Governor Ted Strickland can overcome any race issue in Southeastern Ohio by convincing voters Obama is their best choice.

"That's your speculation," Obama said.

He says he's finding voters are more concerned about issues that "transcend race."