On the central question of providing a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, he accused McCain of shifting positions to suit his audience.
"When he was running for his party's nomination, he walked away from that commitment," Obama said. "He said that he wouldn't even support his own legislation if it came up for a vote."
McCain spokesman Brian Rogers issued a statement later in the day calling it "audacious" for Obama to question McCain's commitment to immigration reform and criticizing Obama's record on the issue.
McCain, who faces a tough balancing act in attempting to win Latino support without losing conservative votes, said that overhauling immigration policies will be "my top priority yesterday, today and tomorrow." But he said that tightening security at the borders was crucial to winning support for an overhaul.
"Many Americans, with good cause, did not believe us when we said we would secure our borders, and so we failed in our efforts," he said. "We must prove to them that we can and will secure our borders first, while respecting the dignity and rights of citizens and legal residents of the United States."
He pledged to address the issue "in a humane and compassionate fashion."
"I understand these are God's children," he said.
Obama, also calling for securing the borders, called for bringing "12 million people who are here illegally out of the shadows" and putting them on a pathway to citizenship after paying a fine, learning English and going to the "back of the line."
While calling for tightening security on the borders, he said that if elected he would review the security plans.
"If we think that a wall is the sole solution to the problem, then we're not thinking it through," he said.
McCain was interrupted four times by antiwar protesters. One demonstrator shouted, "We want a peace candidate!" and was ejected from the room. "The one thing Americans want us to stop doing is yelling at each other," McCain said, to applause.
McCain, who met Saturday in Washington with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, defended his support for the war in Iraq. Obama earlier in the day visited wounded war veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, calling later for a "responsible, honorable end" to the war.
McCain took Congress to task for taking a July 4 recess without completing action on a housing rescue plan, calling it "incredible that Congress should go on vacation while Americans are trying to stay in their homes."
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richard.simon@latimes.com
