Obama meets with minority journalists

CHICAGO, July 27 (UPI) -- Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama told a gathering of minority reporters Sunday the U.S. economy may need further stimulation.

Speaking at the UNITY '08 conference in Chicago, the Illinois senator said he would meet with economic experts Monday to take another look at ways to pull the economy out of its downturn.

Obama told more than 6,000 attendees at the UNITY Journalists of Color convention the war in Iraq is an anchor weighing heavily on the U.S. economy, the Detroit Free Press reported.

"We can't keep spending $10 billion a month in Iraq when we've got pressing issues here, including soldiers who are returning home with post-traumatic stress syndrome and need treatment," Obama said.

Obama spent part of his 40-minute appearance discussing his positions on immigration and affirmative action. He was called upon to talk about his repeated denials that he is Muslim, the newspaper said.

"This is a classic example of a no-win situation," Obama said of the religion issue. "That I have to repeatedly say that I am not a Muslim is indicative of an anti-Muslim strategy that we have to fight against. I just don't like the idea of somebody falsely identifying my religion. … I think my credentials on supporting Muslim Americans are very strong."