Barack Obama ripped Ralph Nader as a political sideshow who's just "trying to get attention," after the consumer advocate and third-party presidential candidate suggested in a newspaper interview that Obama is avoiding issues affecting black voters because he "wants to talk white."

The presumptive Democratic nominee struck back at a press conference Wednesday in Chicago, calling the charges "inflammatory."

"Ralph Nader's trying to get attention. He's become a perennial political candidate," Obama said. "I think it's a shame because if you look at his legacy in terms of consumer protection it's an extraordinary one.

"But at this point, he's somebody who's trying to get attention and his campaign hasn't gotten any traction. And so what better way to get traction than to make an inflammatory statement. ... It is what it is."

Obama said it was clear, "Ralph Nader hasn't been paying attention to my speeches."

The response came after Nader, who still is loathed by many Democrats for allegedly taking votes from Al Gore in the 2000 election, targeted Obama in an interview with The (Denver) Rocky Mountain News.

"There's only one thing different about Barack Obama when it comes to being a Democratic presidential candidate. He's half African-American," Nader told the newspaper.

"I haven't heard him have a strong crackdown on economic exploitation in the ghettos. Payday loans, predatory lending, asbestos, lead, you know. What's keeping him from doing that? Is it because he wants to talk white? He doesn't want to appear like Jesse Jackson? We'll see all that play out in the next few months and if he gets elected afterwards," Nader said.

Obama "wants to appeal to white guilt," Nader continued, according to the paper. "You appeal to white guilt not by coming on as black is beautiful, black is powerful. Basically he's coming on as someone who is not going to threaten the white power structure, whether it's corporate or whether it's simply oligarchic. And they love it. Whites just eat it up."

Nader blasted Obama's ties to lobbyists. Obama has pledged to not allow contributions from federal lobbyists.

"He's deceiving people. ... He would take money from corporate lawyers who are not registered lobbyists, but whose desks are across the aisle from corporate lawyers who are registered lobbyists in the same law firm.

"That's been reported more than once in the mainstream press," Nader said in a video clip posted by the newspaper.

Nader campaign spokesman Chris Driscoll said Nader stands by his remarks and would not apologize or retract them.

He said Nader believes Obama's campaign has been "illusional and irresponsible when it comes to avoiding concrete policies that truly defend and empower the 100 million Americans living in poverty or near poverty."

Nader is an independent candidate for the White House, following up on an unsuccessful independent run in 2004 and Green Party bids in 1996 and 2000.

Click here to see the full report in The Rocky Mountain News.