Washington: Democratic front runner Senator Barack Obama has slammed the presumptive Republican nominee John McCain for his decision to continue the policies of Bush administration, which have been "damaging for the United States".

"Senator McCain, as I said, is a war hero and I respect his service to this nation. But he wants to perpetuate policies that have been very damaging to this country. On foreign policy, he wants to continue a war in Iraq that I think is making us less safe," Obama said in an interactive session in Indianapolis where he was on his campaign trail.

"On the economic front, he wants to perpetuate policies that I think have helped get us in a terrible economic hole," he added.

Holding the Bush administration policy, of not having dialogue with the nations, which Washington considers as enemies, responsible for North Korea like situation, he said, "I am deeply disturbed about the evidence that North Korea may have helped Syria build a nuclear weapon."

A lot of this activity happened during the period when the Bush administration was not engaged in direct talks with North Korea, and that's why I have consistently said it is better for us to speak directly to not just our friends, but to our enemies, he added.

Obama was on his campaign trail in Indianapolis when the issue of the broad thrusts of McCain's strategy came up as also North Korea.

Source : PTI