Hill staff writer Sam Youngman is following the Clinton campaign as it travels through New Hampshire and will provide periodic updates on The Hill’s Congress Blog.

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Only in New Hampshire would Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) come face to face with an issue advocate who compares him to Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

But sure enough, this morning at the AFL-CIO breakfast, as Obama worked the room he heard just that from Melissa Bernardin, one of the Granite State’s many activists who attend rallies and events hoping to talk to the candidates about specific policies. In this case, it was one of defense spending on “obsolete� weapons programs.

When Bernardin told the senator he sounded a lot like Romney the last time he was asked about the issue, the senator smiled and said, “Don’t say that.�

He went on to say that he would review all programs and stop funding “weapons that aren’t working.�

In classic New Hampshire style, though, Bernardin was still unsatisfied. She told The Hill after the run-in that “as the candidate of change,� Obama should promise more than just a budget review.

The senator did enjoy a warm reception from the labor crowd on Labor Day, even eliciting the attention of rival candidate Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.).

While Dodd sat at the head table, having just won the International Association of Fire Fighters endorsement last week, Obama worked the room, shaking hands and talking to voters.

When Dodd took the stage for his scheduled speech, he acknowledged his colleague’s presence and managed to get in a light-hearted dig at the Illinois senator’s short time in Congress.

“You got to watch these junior senators all the time,� Dodd told the crowd.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 3rd, 2007 at 1:28 pm and is filed under Politics, Presidential Campaign .