BARACK OBAMA'S campaign has rejected claims by a leading campaigner for undocumented Irish immigrants that the Democratic presidential candidate is giving a cold shoulder to Irish-American activists and has shown little interest in issues of concern to the community.
Ciarán Staunton, deputy chairman of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, told RTÉ Radio yesterday that Mr Obama's attitude was in marked contrast to that of Republican presidential candidate John McCain, who addressed an Irish American Forum in Scranton, Pennsylvania, this week.
"We've had great access to Senator McCain. Every event we've invited him to over the past two years, both in Washington and in the Bronx, he has shown up to," he said.
"I spent half an hour talking with him about the issue and other Irish-American issues and he didn't need notes or staff. He gets the issue. This is in contrast to his opponent. We have as yet been unable to get a hold of Barack Obama to turn up to any campaigns," Mr Staunton said.
Denis McDonough, senior foreign policy adviser to Mr Obama, told The Irish Times yesterday that the campaign has been in touch with the Irish American Forum and he hopes to find a suitable date for Mr Obama to address it.
"Senator Obama has long made clear the importance he attaches to peace in Northern Ireland, affirming his support for a special envoy and appointing and consulting with an Irish-American 'dream team' whose members have a far more credible record on Irish issues than John McCain, who opposed President Clinton's efforts to launch the peace process and has sadly backed away from his earlier immigration proposals," Mr McDonough said.
Mr Staunton said that, during a meeting with the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform before this week's forum, Mr McCain had reiterated his interest in resolving the issue of the undocumented and said the number one priority during his first year would be to get immigration reform.
Mr Staunton complained that the Obama campaign had originally cast doubt on the future of the role of US special envoy for Northern Ireland, and noted that in Pennsylvania, where the race is tied, 20 per cent of the population claims Irish heritage.
"The Obama campaign originally said they wouldn't reappoint an envoy on the North and we've had great difficulty in reaching out and getting a response out of them and I think the McCain campaign has seen this," Mr Staunton said.
"We don't endorse candidates but we certainly thank them and as of now there's certainly only one who's shown an interest." Mr McDonough said that Irish-Americans had a high-profile representative at the heart of the Obama team in the person of vice-presidential candidate Joe Biden.
"It should be noted that John McCain paid a visit to Scranton, while Senator Obama chose as his running mate an Irish-American from Scranton."