Today, speaking at the AFL-CIO convention in Philadelphia, Barack Obama issued a pointed jab at Hillary Clinton:

"I know there's been some talk about Rocky Balboa over the last couple of days," Obama said. "We all love Rocky. And last time I checked, I was the underdog in this state. But we've got to remember that Rocky was a movie. And so is the idea that somebody can fight for working people and, at the same time, embrace the broken system in Washington, where corporate lobbyists use their clout to shape laws to their liking."

Obama was responding to Clinton's statement on Tuesday, in which she compared herself to Philadelphia's famed cine-pugilist. "Let me tell you something, when it comes to finishing a fight, Rocky and I have a lot in common," Clinton said yesterday. "I never quit. I never give up. And neither do the American people." She added, "I know what it's like to stumble. I know what it means to get knocked down. But I've never stayed down, and I never will."

Although we believe the more the candidates invoke Sylvester Stallone the better (the Baltimore Sun post cites Stallone's appearance on Fox News, in which he said: "I like McCain a lot ..."), Obama's statement is interesting for another reason. As Alex Koppelman pointed out in a post earlier today, Obama's claims that he does not take money from corporate lobbyists have been called into question by FactCheck.org.

In today's speech, Obama also emphasized his commitment to unions. He told the audience, "I'm tired of playing defense. I know the AFL-CIO is tired of playing defense. We're ready to play some offense. We're ready to play offense for a decent wage. We're ready to play offense for retirement security. We're ready to play offense for universal healthcare."