Democrats may be viewing the national catastrophe fund issue asa potential opening to help their presumed presidential nominee,Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., gain ground against his Republicanrival.

The Obama campaign criticized Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., for hisopposition and sought to tie him to President Bush as thepresumptive Republican nominee traveled to Orlando to speak at ameeting of newspaper editors on the state.

"Once again, John McCain has made clear that he is much moreinterested in standing with George Bush than getting the factsright or doing what's right," said Obama aide Hari Sevigan,according to Capitol Hill publication The Politico. "But what JohnMcCain doesn't understand is that by choosing to stand with GeorgeBush's failed policies instead of standing with the families ofFlorida, he can't deliver the change the country needs anddeserves."

In a conference call with reporters set up by the Obamacampaign, one of the sponsors of legislation establishing anational fund, Rep. Ron Klein, blasted Sen. McCain's proposal toaddress the issue by reforming the Federal Emergency ManagementAgency.

"It's unclear to me how Sen. McCain has come to the realizationthat FEMA is the answer," Rep. Klein said, according to the MediaGeneral news service. He added that Sen. McCain appears uninformedor is "not speaking honestly" on the issue. The legislation, knownas the Homeowners' Defense Act or H.R. 3355, sponsored by Rep.Klein and Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-Fla., has won passage in the Housebut has failed to move in the Senate. The Bush administration alsohas expressed opposition to the bill and has promised to veto itshould it win Senate approval.

Tucker Bounds, a McCain campaign spokesman, fired back, callingit "disappointing" that Sen. Obama would use the issue to launchpolitical attacks, adding "that's not 'change we can believein.'"

Sen. McCain is opposed to the national catastrophe fund,according to Mr. Bounds, "not because he doesn't have seriousconcerns about the cost of insurance in Florida but because itignores the need for private insurance reforms to broaden marketsand protections against the cherry-picking of individualstates."

In addition, Mr. Bounds noted that Sen. McCain has won thesupport of one of the national catastrophe fund's most ardentsupporters, Florida Governor Charlie Crist.

"John McCain earned Governor Crist's endorsement well afterSenator McCain had articulated his position on this issue, becauseJohn McCain has the strength, experience and judgment to lead," hesaid.

In addition, the Florida Democratic Party set up a Web sitefeaturing a video criticizing Sen. McCain on the issue.

The video shows footage of Sen. McCain telling an audience at aWashington event that he campaigned against the nationalcatastrophe fund in Florida and criticizes him for, among otherthings, voting against investigating the government's response toHurricane Katrina and standing with President Bush on the nationalcatastrophe fund issue.