Hillary Clinton,
the front-runner in the Democratic presidential race no
more, sought to bury rival Barack Obama but also to praise
him in their latest campaign debate and revive her own
White House hopes in the process.
''No matter what
happens in this contest -- and I am honored, I am
honored to be here with Barack Obama,'' she said at the
conclusion of the 90-minute forum in Austin.
''Whatever happens, we're going to be fine.''
It was an
unexpectedly gracious moment in a debate that was supposed
to be a game changer for Clinton in the run-up to
crucial primaries in Texas and Ohio March 4. After
losing 11 straight contests to Obama in a race now
clearly breaking his way, the former first lady chose the
high road and even delivered what sounded to many like
the dress rehearsal for a campaign valedictory
address.
Her remarks were
''almost a quasi-concession speech,'' said Texas state
representative Rafael Anchia, who backs Obama.
Clinton doubtless
didn't intend her words to be taken that way.
She worked hard
to draw contrasts with Obama on issues, pressing her
argument that Obama's health care reform proposal would
leave 15 million people uninsured. Obama has countered
that Clinton's plan, which requires everyone to carry
insurance, would force people to purchase coverage they
can't afford.
But otherwise,
Clinton steered away from any hard-hitting criticism of
her rival. She agreed with him on most matters raised in the
debate, including immigration policy and fixing the
economy. She let pass a statement that he would be
willing to meet with new Cuban leader Raul Castro
''without precondition'' after hammering him for making a
similar comment in another debate last summer.
Clinton even
sidestepped a question of whether the Illinois senator is
ready to be commander in chief -- an argument she makes
clearly and forcefully before most campaign audiences.
''I will leave
that for voters to decide,'' Clinton said, opening an
opportunity for her rival.
''I wouldn't be
running if I didn't think I was prepared to be commander
in chief,'' Obama responded simply -- winning back what
could have been a breakthrough moment for the New York
senator.
Obama, for his
part, controlled the pace of the evening -- calmly going
toe to toe on issues with Clinton while forcefully
challenging her argument that he is all promise and no
results.
''The implication
is that the people who've been voting for me or
involved in my campaign are somehow delusional,'' Obama
said. ''The thinking is that somehow, they've been
duped and they're going to see the reality of
things.''
Clinton's only
attempt to get tough was a crack about Obama borrowing
lines from Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick -- an
argument pressed by her campaign this week, with
little apparent effect.
''Lifting whole
passages from someone else's speeches is not change you
can believe in, it's change you can Xerox,'' Clinton said,
eliciting a chorus of boos.
''She's somewhat
boxed in: Play nice and let the Obamomentum continue, or
sharpen the attacks and risk a backlash. It's the Hobson's
choice faced by all trailing candidates,'' said Dan
Newman, a California-based Democratic strategist not
affiliated with either candidate.
That's why the
end of the debate and Clinton's generous praise of Obama
stood out -- an unprompted gesture that followed another
poignant moment, when she acknowledged the pain of her
husband former president Bill Clinton's dalliance with
White House intern Monica Lewinsky and his subsequent
impeachment.
''I think
everybody here knows I've lived through some crises and some
challenging moments in my life,'' she said, winning applause
and cheers.
Was it another
example of Clinton ''finding her voice'' -- showing the
kind of flash of humanity that helped her win the New
Hampshire primary last month?
Her advisers
clearly thought yes.
''What we saw in
the final moments in that debate is why Hillary Clinton
is the next president of the United States,'' spokesman
Howard Wolfson said. ''Her strength, her life
experience, her compassion. She's tested and ready. It
was the moment she retook the reins of this race and showed
women and men why she is the best choice.'' (Beth Fouhy, AP)
