Updated NORFOLK, Va. — Senator Barack Obama accused his Republican rivals on Wednesday of stirring “phony outrage” over a colloquial comment he made one day earlier about putting “lipstick on a pig,” which he said was a clear reference to Senator John McCain’s policies not a derogatory slur against his running-mate.

“Enough!” Mr. Obama said, interrupting a speech on education to address the latest controversy in the heated presidential campaign. “I don’t care what they say about me, but I love this country too much to let them take over another election with lies and phony outrage and swift boat politics. Enough is enough.”

In southern Virginia on Tuesday night, Mr. Obama was delivering a spirited attack about Mr. McCain’s pledge to change Washington, likening the approach to trying to put lipstick on a pig. (“It’s still a pig,” he said to loud applause.) The comment instantly caught fire, with associates of Mr. McCain suggesting it was a degrading remark aimed at Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential candidate.

The Obama campaign, which has already been grappling with how to deal with the newfound popularity of Ms. Palin, responded forcefully in a statement. But aides said the controversy would almost certainly not blow over unless Mr. Obama addressed it directly, which he did in the opening minutes of a campaign event in a high school library.

“What their campaign has done this morning is the same game that has made people sick and tired of politics in this country. They seize on an innocent remark, try to take it out of context, throw out an outrageous ad because they know it’s catnip for the news media,” Mr. Obama said. “I’m assuming you guys heard this watching the news. I’m talking about John McCain’s economic policies and I said here’s more of the same, ‘You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig. Suddenly, they say, Oh you must be talking about the governor of Alaska!'”

As the audience applauded, he added: “See it would be funny, it would be funny except, of course the news media decided that was the lead story yesterday. The McCain campaign would much rather have the story about phony and foolish diversions than about the future.”

By devoting a little more than five minutes to the lipstick controversy, Mr. Obama said he was finished discussing the matter and return to issues that Americans are concerned about . (Time will tell, of course, if this really is the final word on the subject.)

“Spare me the phony outrage. Spare me the phony talk about change,” Mr. Obama said. “We have real problems in this country right now and the American people are looking to us for answers, not distractions, no diversions, not manipulations.”

Update, 8:41 p.m.: On “The Late Show With David Letterman” on Wednesday night, Mr. Obama offered a light-hearted explanation, saying: “Technically, had I meant it this way — she would be the lipstick, you see. The failed policies of John McCain would be the pig.”

Brian Rogers, a spokesman for the McCain-Palin campaign, chastised Mr. Obama for trying to blame the media for reporting the lipstick remark, rather than taking responsibility himself.

“Barack Obama can’t campaign with schoolyard insults and then try to claim outrage at the tone of the campaign,” Mr. Rogers said in a statement. “His talk of new politics is as empty as his campaign trail promises.”