Hillary Rodham
Clinton, struggling to stop the momentum of new Democratic
presidential front-runner Barack Obama, is testing a line of
criticism that aims to portray him as a smooth talker
who is short on details.
The former first
lady, considered the overwhelming Democratic favorite
just a few weeks ago, has now lost eight straight contests
with her defeats this weeks in Virginia, Maryland, and
Washington, D.C.
She was turning
her attention to must-win races next month in Texas and
Ohio, and taking another tack against Obama as he sought to
expand his newfound advantage: That she is the
candidate of substance, and he is the candidate of
flash.
''I am in the
solutions business,'' she told more than 4,000 supporters
in a packed fairgrounds in Robstown, Texas, on Wednesday.
''My opponent is in the promises business.''
On the Republican
side, presumptive nominee John McCain sought to
convince conservatives that if the party hopes to match the
enthusiasm generated by the two Democrats, it must
come together. He too has taken on Obama, saying that
the candidate's speeches are ''singularly lacking in
specifics.''
Fighting that
perception, Obama announced Wednesday that as president he
would spend $210 billion to create jobs in construction and
environmental industries. He painted his rivals as
Washington insiders whose votes on the Iraq war have
had stark economic consequences.
''It's a
Washington where politicians like John McCain and Hillary
Clinton voted for a war in Iraq that should've never been
authorized and never been waged -- a war that is
costing us thousands of precious lives and billions of
dollars a week'' that could be used on infrastructure,
job training, and health care, Obama said at a campaign stop
at a General Motors plant in Wisconsin. The state is
the site of the next Democratic nomination battle on
February 15.
Obama's wins
Tuesday in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., give
him the edge in the delegate count, but hardly assures him
of the nomination. With about 2,500 delegates awarded,
Obama's lead over Clinton had crept ahead to 55 late
Wednesday -- 1,275 to 1,220. Given that about 1,500
more delegates are to be chosen, that is almost a negligible
difference.
But those wins,
on top of five over the weekend, give him undeniable
advantages. He has a good opportunity to extend his streak
with weekend primaries in Wisconsin and Hawaii, as
Americans focus on how his campaign is soaring and
Clinton's is flagging.
The former first
lady is now looking to the March 4 primaries in
delegate-rich Texas and Ohio. She could have an edge in
those states and big wins there could propel her back
into the lead. But by then, if she does not win
Wisconsin or Hawaii, four weeks would have passed without a
victory, and Obama's momentum could be hard to overcome.
Obama has pulled
ahead in fund-raising, leaving Clinton to lend money to
her own campaign to try to stay close. Her campaign advisers
said Wednesday that her fund-raising was rebounding at
a rate of $1 million a day online.
Tuesday's vote
indicated that Obama is tapping into Clinton's political
base, with stronger support from white voters -- including
women -- and the elderly.
He got another
boost Wednesday when the man who served as national
manager of former president Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign
endorsed him. David Wilhelm, who later became chairman
of the Democratic National Committee, said Obama would
be able to govern the country with the support of a
large coalition.
Wilhelm is a
superdelegate who was previously uncommitted in the race.
His endorsement helps Obama in the all-important race for
delegates.
Clinton, who is
seeking to become America's first woman president, has
struggled in a historic race to counter Obama, who would be
the country's first black president.
Months ago, she
largely ignored Obama and other Democratic rivals,
campaigning as the inevitable Democratic nominee. After
Obama surprisingly won the first contest, Iowa, she
and her husband, the former president, went on the
attack. But some of those attacks were criticized as
racially insensitive -- a serious matter for a party in
which blacks are an important part of the electorate
and which prides itself on advocating civil rights.
McCain appealed
to Republican House members on Wednesday for help
rallying conservatives, who so far have been lukewarm at
best in their support of the Arizona senator.
''I'm very
gratified by the very warm reception that I received from
the Republican conference this morning -- a spirited
and a good discussion of some of the issues,'' McCain
told reporters afterward. ''I'm very grateful for our
pledge to work together.''
McCain is
considered a maverick who has broken with some conservative
Republican stances on immigration, gay rights, and campaign
finance reform. The veteran senator's victories
Tuesday in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.,
allowed him to save face after embarrassing losses to
rival Mike Huckabee last weekend.
McCain leads the
overall race for the nomination with 843 delegates, to
242 for Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and ordained
Baptist minister who is a favorite among Christian
conservatives.
It takes 1,191
delegates to clinch the Republican nomination at the
party's convention in St. Paul, Minn., and McCain appears to
be on track to reach the target by late April. (AP)
