Obama chides press, talks expectations, looks ahead

Obama spoke to reporters between Houston annd San Antonio, chiding them for buying Clinton claims that the media has been soft on him, Carrie Budoff Brown reports.

He was asked whether he could have responded more quickly to bat down negative stories in recent days about his relationship with Tony Rezko, an indicted Chicago businessman, and a meeting between his economic adviser and the Canadian consulate.

"Look, they have run a pretty negative campaign over the last several weeks," he said. "I have said we would do things differently. I am not going to do things I am not comfortable with. I want to make sure we stay focused on the issues.

"I am a little surprised that all the complaining about the refs has actually worked as well as it has for them," he added. "This whole spin that the press is being so tough of them and not tough on us. I just didn’t expect you guys would bite on that."

He also described the election today as "very, very tight" and spoke several times of moving his campaign in the next week to Wyoming and Mississippi -- both expected to be strong states.

“We started at 20 points behind in Texas and Ohio," he said. "We closed the gap. … We know there is not going to be a huge shift in delegates.”

When asked if he expected Clinton to bow out if she does not win decisively today, Obama would only say that she was a "tenacious" and "determined" campaigner.