Mon, April 14, 2008 - 3:28 PM

It turns out even journalists make mistakes.

Dean Singleton, the vice chairman and CEO of MediaNews Group Inc. and the chairman of AP, mistakenly said “Obama bin Laden” in asking Obama a question about the war on terrorism.

Obama quickly corrected him and said it’s just “part of the exercise I’ve been going through.”

Singleton was quick to apologize.

-- Amy Dominello

After his speech, Obama answered some questioned that had been submitted by editors and publishers.

Some of the highlights are below.

On whether Democrats can talk about guns, God or immigration without getting in trouble:
“These are the so-called wedge issues that have divided us in repeated elections. … We keep on talking past each other on the issues.”

After delving into points on each of those topics, Obama said “what’s most needed is the ability to listen and acknowledge those on the other side of the issue.”

Not doing that, allows for politicians to get “caught up in the same cycle of silliness that keeps us unable to solve our problems.”

On the large crowds and enthusiasm he has generated:
“The American people want to move past the old arguments and be engaged and enlisted in American renewal. They feel I am a helpful prop for the campaign but that it’s theirs.”

On what type of president he would be:
“I want transparency. I want accountability. … I think I am very good at getting people from different perspectives to listen to each other.”

-- Amy Dominello

Obama seamlessly interwove his explanation of his comments on small-town America to continue to criticize Republican policies for leaving many Americans behind.

McCain will be four more years of the same, he said, and Americans understand the country can’t afford more of the same.

“They understand what’s at stake here because they are living it everyday,” Obama said. “They’ve never wanted or needed change more badly than they do right now.”

-- Amy Dominello

Obama kicked of his speech at the Associated Press luncheon by acknowledging the elephant in the room – his controversial comments characterizing small-town America as “bitter.”

“I know that I kept you busy this weekend,” he joked. “Some of you might even be a little bitter about that.”

Obama characterized the controversy as a distraction, but he turned more serious as he tried to further explain his comments on the topic.

“For the last several decades people in small towns … have seen globalization change the rules on them,” he said.

Mills and factories throughout America have closed, in turn hurting those communities in which they were located, he said. Jobs have left, leaving many Americans behind. And politicians have made promises that they would help and nothing changes, Obama said.

“They are angry and frustrated with their leaders for not listening to them,” he said.

He criticized McCain for using the comments to characterize him as an elitist liberal. But Obama said it’s Republicans that are out of touch.

“If John McCain wants to turn this into a contest about who is more out of touch with America, that is a debate I’m happy to have,” he said.

-- Amy Dominello

McCain took questions from two Associated Press reporters after his opening speech. Here are some of the highlights.

On whether or not the country is in a recession:
“I certainly think so. … The important fact is Americans are hurting. These are very, very tough times in America.”

On whether he may benefit from voters who may cast their ballot for him because he is white:
“I rely on the goodness of America. At the end of the day, I think they’ll vote for the candidate with a vision.”
He added: “I know we have a long way to go in race relations.”

On his age:
“I’ll out-campaign them all. … If anyone has further doubts, come and meet my 96-year-old mother.”

On torture:
“We can not do what our enemies do and expect to earn the respect and admiration of leaders all over the world.”

On Supreme Court nominees:
McCain said he would not grill nominees on where they stand on abortion, but he said “I will approve nominees that in my view have a record of straight interpretation of the Constitution of the United States.”

-- Amy Dominello

WASHINGTON – Members of the Florida and Michigan units of the Building and Construction Trades Council are planning a demonstration this afternoon outside of Democratic National Committee headquarters.

Participants say they want the DNC to seat the two state’s delegates at the party’s presidential nominating convention.

Organizers say the demonstrators will gather with picket signs and handbills; but they say the effort is being held for “informational purposes only.”

No attempt to prevent anyone from entering the building, they say.

Those participating are in the nation’s capital for this week’s Building and Construction Trades Department Legislative Conference.

-- Billy House

Obama’s recent comments characterizing Americans who live in small towns as bitter provided McCain fodder to extol their virtues.

The strength and faith of those Americans have kept the country great, McCain said.

“They are the heart and soul of our country, the foundation of our strength,” he said. “They are inspiration and I look to them for guidance and strength.”

McCain will likely continue to use those comments against Obama.

-- Amy Dominello

McCain opened up at the Associated Press annual meeting saying he has decided to be as open as possible with the media, but admitted relations with the press can be an “obstacle course.”

“There have been days that I’ve wished you were somewhere else,” he said.

But McCain said he believes in giving reporters great access in an effort to clarify his positions and give reporters the opportunity to understand his policies.

“I want voters to know and understand my position,” he said. “… I’ll take my chances with you and trust in the American people to get it right.”

McCain drew applause when said he narrowly supports a federal "shield law" to protect journalists from having to reveal confidential sources. (AP story here.)

He said he worries about the law’s impact on classified government information, but the law can also protect those who bring light to government misdeeds.

“It is frankly a license to do harm – serious harm,” McCain said. “But it’s also a license to do good.”

McCain also made sure to get a few digs in. Newsrooms are among the least transparent institutions in the country, he said.

“I think it’s an impression the press should work on correcting,” he said.

-- Amy Dominello

An audience full of journalists.

It’s a candidate’s worst nightmare.

And today two of three presidential candidates will get to experience that living nightmare as top journalists descend on the Washington Convention Center for industry conferences.

Republican John McCain speaks this morning at the Associated Press Annual Meeting.

Democrat Barack Obama will speak later at the Associated Press luncheon.

We’ll update this blog to let you know what the two presidential contenders say.

Hillary Clinton, Obama’s fellow Democrat, won’t be able to escape either. She’ll speak tomorrow at the joint lunch meeting of the Newspaper Association of America and American Society of Newspaper Editors.

-- Amy Dominello