Obama vows payback in bruising battle with Clinton for the Democratic nomination

The Associated Press ,  Washington   |  Fri, 03/07/2008 1:08 AM  |  World

Barack Obama - promising payback for what he dubbed negative campaigning - mocked Hillary Rodham Clinton and predicted her newfound momentum would do little to help her overcome his lead for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The sharpened rhetoric came as the Democratic rivals steeled themselves for a drawn-out and fierce battle to determine who faces off against John McCain, who just wrapped up the Republican nomination, in the November U.S. presidential election.

The veteran Arizona senator on Wednesday secured President George W. Bush's endorsement after wins in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont primaries the night before sealed the Republican presidential nomination that had been his for the taking for weeks.

Clinton declared Wednesday that her primary victories a day earlier in Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island had reordered the race in her favor - and she hinted she would be willing to have Obama as her vice presidential running mate.

But the former first lady faced daunting electoral math as she tries to erase Obama's lead in the all-important delegate count used in determining the nominee.

Overall, she showed a gain of only 12 delegates and had few opportunities to make up the deficit in the races to come. But party officials were worried that the protracted battles would hamper the party's White House chances.

"The longer this campaign goes on, the more difficult it will be to unify and heal," said Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, who is neutral. His state will be the next major battleground, holding its primary on April 22.

In the overall race for the nomination, Obama had 1,567 delegates after picking up on Wednesday five new endorsements by superdelegates - senior party officials and lawmakers who are free to vote as they choose in the national convention. Clinton had 1,462 delegates. It takes 2,025 delegates to secure the Democratic nomination.

In Tuesday's contests, Clinton won at least 185 delegates and Obama won at least 173. There were still 12 more delegates to be awarded - 10 in Texas and two in Ohio.

Obama - smarting from "very negative" attacks he said factored into Clinton's win - took the offensive, targeting her claims that she is more experienced in handling foreign policy.

"Was she negotiating treaties? Was she handling crises? The answer is no," Obama said. "She made a series of arguments on why she should be a superior candidate. I think it's important to examine that argument."

His aides also questioned why she has not released her tax returns - something which she said she would do around April 15, the U.S. tax deadline.

The Democratic rivals had bruising campaigns last week, with Clinton arguing he was getting a free ride with the media, questioning his sincerity in opposing the North American Free Trade Agreement and hinting he is not ready to be commander in chief in a crisis.

Clinton on Wednesday ticked off her national security qualifications, listing a series of events in which she played a role, including peace talks in Northern Ireland, the Kosovo refugee crisis and standing up for women's rights in China. She also cited her work on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Their feuding and the likelihood that the race could stretch into August when the party holds its nomination convention troubled Democratic scions.

"I'm concerned about unity. That's the major reason I've stayed out of this," said Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, who is neutral. "The longer this campaign goes on, the more difficult it will be to unify and heal."

Despite the acrimony and rhetoric, the Democratic races essentially comes down to one element: delegates.

Before Pennsylvania's contest are smaller races in Wyoming on Saturday and Mississippi on March 11.

Both candidates are stepping up efforts to win over superdelegates.

Based on their current delegate counts, neither candidate can win enough delegates in the remaining primaries and caucuses to secure the nomination without the help of nearly 800 superdelegates.

Clinton, echoed by officials in Florida and Michigan, has also renewed her call for new contests to be held in those states after they were stripped of their delegates by the Democratic Party for moving up their primaries ahead of schedule.

While Clinton won the popular vote in both states, none of the Democratic candidates campaigned there and Obama was not even on the Michigan ballot. But do-over contests in the two states, assuming Clinton wins again, could add some delegates to her total.

Clinton and Obama have each argued that they are best suited to take on McCain, whose appeal to independent voters could make him a tough foe. Both have tried to tie him to Bush's unpopular presidency.

On Wednesday, the former Vietnam prisoner of war was lauded by Bush - his bitter rival in the 2000 presidential race - as "somebody that can handle the tough decisions, somebody who won't flinch in the face of danger."

Bush's endorsement comes as McCain faced lingering concerns by the Republican Party's core conservative constituency over his famed independent streak. (***)

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.