Clinton links Obama, Bush foreign experience

WASHINGTON - It may well be the biggest insult one Democratic presidential candidate can hurl at another -- that your opponent is no more competent than George W. Bush.

Senator Hillary Clinton argued yesterday that rival Barack Obama lacks the judgment to handle global threats facing America, likening his national security inexperience to the current President's limited foreign policy knowledge when he took office in early 2001.

Touting her own global relations credentials ahead of key primaries next week in Ohio and Texas, Ms. Clinton cast Mr. Obama as a political neophyte who would need a "foreign policy instruction manual" during world crises.

"We've seen the tragic result of having a president who had neither the experience nor the wisdom to manage our foreign policy and safeguard our national security," Ms. Clinton said during a speech at George Washington University. "We can't let that happen again. America has already taken that chance--one time too many."

Latest Polling Data - Rhode Island

Rhode Island

ARG:
Clinton 52
Obama 40

Rasmussen
Clinton 53
Obama 38

Latest Polling Data - Ohio

Ohio

ARG
Clinton 49
Obama 39

Public Policy Polling
Clinton 50
Obama 46

Quinnipiac
Clinton 51 (55)
Obama 40 (34)

U of Cincinnati Ohio Poll (PDF)
Clinton 47
Obama 39

CBS: Don't Be Quick to Count Out a Clinton

(AP) History shows the folly of counting out a Clinton.

If Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign is looking more and more like the Titanic, she may yet prove to be the unsinkable Molly Brown.

Ask Mike McCurry about the Clintons' resilience. McCurry worked for Bob Kerrey, one of Bill Clinton's chief rivals in the 1992 presidential campaign. He remembers the day details broke about Clinton's efforts to avoid the Vietnam draft, just weeks after allegations had surfaced of an affair with Gennifer Flowers.

"He's toast," McCurry told co-workers on the Kerrey campaign. "He's never going to survive this." McCurry went on to become Clinton's chief White House spokesman.

Hillary Clinton was a huge factor in her husband's 1992 victory _ and in any number of other recoveries during his agony-and-ecstasy political career. Now, she's the one attempting to rebound from 11 straight primary and caucus losses to Barack Obama.

HILLARY LEADS IN OHIO

Polls show Hillary leading Barack as primary nears

Two polls of likely Democratic voters in Ohio show Hillary Clinton leading Barack Obama with eight days until the March 4 presidential primary.

Obama is gaining on Clinton in a Quinnipiac University Polling Institute poll released today. Clinton is leading 51 percent to 40 percent among likely Ohio Democratic primary voters.

Clinton is leading Obama by 8 percentage points, 47 percent to 39 percent, in today’s Ohio Poll, conducted by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati.

The Ohio Poll was conducted from Thursday to Sunday via telephone of 529 likely Democratic voters in the state. The margin of error is 4.3 percent. Quinnipiac polled 564 likely Ohio Democratic voters over the telephone between Feb. 6 and 12 with a margin of error of 4.1 percent.

Among the 1,748 Ohio voters — likely Democrats, likely Republicans and independents — who Quinnipiac polled, there is a statistical dead-heat in potential November general election races between McCain and Clinton and McCain and Obama.

Clinton hits rival on foreign affairs

By Rick Pearson and Mike Dorning |Tribune correspondents

February 26, 2008

WASHINGTON — Hillary Clinton warned Americans on Monday not to take a chance on Barack Obama's lack of experience on military and foreign affairs, while he questioned her commitment to fixing trade policies that have devastated Ohio's industrial base.

On the Republican side, likely GOP nominee Sen. John McCain said if he can't convince Americans that the U.S. policy in Iraq is succeeding, "then I lose. I lose." Speaking to reporters in Ohio, the Arizona senator quickly sought to backtrack and said, "I'd like to retract 'I'll lose,' " though he acknowledged he is closely tied to the U.S. military "surge" and support for the American presence in Iraq.

The increasingly intense rhetoric between the Democratic contenders was a prelude to a debate Tuesday night in Cleveland, the last before primaries March 4 in Ohio and Texas that could determine the fate of Clinton's campaign. Clinton has said she plans to make her experience a focus of the remainder of the primary campaign.

Latest Ohio Polls Are In...Clinton and McCain Lead

Ohio voters prefer Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama by 8 points, and John McCain has a double-digit lead over Mike Huckabee, according to the results from the latest Ohio Poll.

The poll queried people likely to vote in the Democratic and Republican primaries on March 4. The results:

• 47 percent of likely Democratic voters would cast their ballots for Clinton, versus 39 percent for Obama. Another 9 percent favored John Edwards, who has suspended his campaign; 2 percent would vote for other candidates and 4 percent are undecided.
• 55 percent of likely Republican voters would vote for McCain, versus 20 percent for Huckabee. Another 9 percent would choose Mitt Romney, who has also suspended his campaign; 5 percent favor Ron Paul; 8 percent support other candidates and 3 percent are undecided.
• 41 percent of Democratic respondents named the economy/jobs as their biggest concern, followed by health care/health insurance (25 percent) and the war in Iraq/Iraq policy (16 percent).
• 30 percent of Republican respondents felt the economy/jobs was the top issue, followed by homeland security/national defense (16 percent); and the war in Iraq/Iraq policy (9 percent).

The Ohio Poll is conducted by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati. Telephone interviews were conducted with 529 likely Democratic voters and 312 likely Republican voters from Feb. 21 through Feb. 24.

Hillary Leads in Ohio

Polls show Hillary leading Barack as primary nears

Two polls of likely Democratic voters in Ohio show Hillary Clinton leading Barack Obama with eight days until the March 4 presidential primary.

Obama is gaining on Clinton in a Quinnipiac University Polling Institute poll released today. Clinton is leading 51 percent to 40 percent among likely Ohio Democratic primary voters.

Clinton is leading Obama by 8 percentage points, 47 percent to 39 percent, in today’s Ohio Poll, conducted by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati.

The Ohio Poll was conducted from Thursday to Sunday via telephone of 529 likely Democratic voters in the state. The margin of error is 4.3 percent. Quinnipiac polled 564 likely Ohio Democratic voters over the telephone between Feb. 6 and 12 with a margin of error of 4.1 percent.

Among the 1,748 Ohio voters — likely Democrats, likely Republicans and independents — who Quinnipiac polled, there is a statistical dead-heat in potential November general election races between McCain and Clinton and McCain and Obama.

Don't Count Hillary Out Yet

Feb. 23

For months now we have watched an incredibly biased media weigh in on the race for the Democratic presidential nominee south of the border. While Hillary Clinton was ahead of Barack Obama by nearly 200 delegates, the words from the media were "dead heat" and "virtual tie." The second Obama overtook her by less than 50 delegates, the words turned to "winning" and "momentum."

When Clinton criticizes Obama, she is dismissed as negative. When Obama criticizes Clinton, he continues to be portrayed as the underdog and the saviour of the world.

So it was refreshing to read Tim Harper's article – the most honest description I have seen in print regarding what is really going on in this race. Harper describes the race for Clinton's supporters as "being decided by applause lines, as if the country were engaged in a giant game of Presidential American Idol." He describes Obama as a "foreign affairs neophyte ... with no substantive legislative record" who is "overselling his ability to change the ways of Washington."

While hope and inspiration are wonderful things, it is a relief to see that there are still some journalists left who have not mindlessly jumped on the Obama bandwagon, blinded by the "balloon of hope" and the "fires of inspiration."

Karen Jutzi, Toronto

Hillary Wins Over RI

PROVIDENCE - Senator Hillary Clinton told Rhode Islanders she is not overlooking their March 4 primary as she attempts to blunt Senator Barack Obama's momentum following his victories in 10 straight contests across the country.
"Rhode Island is right up there with Ohio and Texas," Clinton said to an estimated crowd of 5,000 in a gymnasium at Rhode Island College yesterday, aligning New England's smallest state with those some say are key to sustaining her campaign for president.

Clinton played up the differences between her universal healthcare plan and Obama's healthcare proposal in the rally and later at a roundtable discussion, which came a day after she blasted the Illinois senator's campaign for what she said were misleading mailers criticizing her plan.

"His plan cannot cover everybody because his plan does not require that everybody be covered," she said in the 35-minute speech.

"Senator Obama says I'm going to make people get healthcare whether they can afford it or not. That is false, it is misleading, and it has been discredited, and yet his campaign continues to say it."

Clinton, Obama toughen their attacks

By Claudia Parsons

PROVIDENCE, R.I., Feb 24 (Reuters) - Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama sharpened their attacks on each other on Sunday as they headed for showdowns in Texas and Ohio on March 4.

Clinton, who trails Illinois Sen. Obama in delegates to this summer's national convention that will pick the Democratic candidate for the November election, needs wins in both Texas and Ohio to keep her campaign afloat.

"I'm working as hard as I can," the New York senator told reporters in Rhode Island, which also votes on March 4. "I have good campaigns in Texas and Ohio and I feel really positive about what's going to happen on March 4."

The former first lady, who would be the first woman U.S. president, toughened her attacks on Obama and some leaflets he circulated in Ohio criticizing her health care plan and past support for the North American Free Trade Agreement.

"Nobody believes Senator Obama's plan is universal because it's not. Mine is," she said in Rhode Island, which also votes on March 4. "So raise legitimate questions but don't engage in, you know, this kind of false and misleading advertising."

"There's a big difference between what is said in that campaign and what is done in that campaign," she said.

Clinton to fire up White House campaign before key votes

WASHINGTON (AFP) — White House hopeful Hillary Clinton was to fire up her campaign Monday, just over a week before key primaries billed as a make-or-break date in her bid to be the country's first woman president.

Just a few days ago, pundits said Clinton was preparing a graceful exit from the Democrats' White House race in face of her seemingly unstoppable rival Barack Obama, who has won the 11 last nominating contests in a row.

Now heading into must-win battles on March 4 in Ohio and Texas, Clinton has come out fighting.

Several press reports on Sunday said Clinton's advisors, demoralized in the face of the Obama steamroller, were preparing for the campaign's last rites in Ohio and Texas.

But Clinton's communications chief Howard Wolfson denied the end was nigh for the New York senator.

"I believe that we are going to do well in Ohio and Texas. I'm not even thinking about other alternatives," he said.

Clinton herself was pulling the gloves off, accusing her rival from Illinois of purloining Republican smear tactics in his attacks on her healthcare and trade policies.

"Shame on you, Barack Obama," Clinton said at a rally in Ohio, which along with Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont holds its Democratic primary on March 4.

"Meet me in Ohio. Let's have a debate about your tactics and your behavior in this campaign," she challenged Obama, who is bidding to be the country's first black president.

Hillary to Obama: Shame on You!

(CNN) -- A visibly angry Sen. Hillary Clinton lashed out Saturday at Sen. Barack Obama over campaign literature that she said he knows is "blatantly false," while Obama called her outburst "tactical."

Sen. Hillary Clinton waves campaign literature she says is false. Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland is behind her.

Clinton jabbed the air with her hands as she told a crowd in Cincinnati, Ohio, that two Obama mailings spread lies about her positions on universal health care and the North American Free Trade Agreement.

"Shame on you, Barack Obama," she said.

Polls show Clinton and Obama are in statistical dead heats in delegate-rich Ohio and Texas, which both hold votes March 4.

With Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland nodding in agreement behind her, Clinton accused Obama of emulating the tactics of Karl Rove, President Bush's former political director who is reviled by Democrats.

Obama "is continuing to send false and discredited mailings with information that is not true to the voters of Ohio," Clinton said.

One mailing says her health care proposal would force everyone to buy health insurance, regardless of ability to pay, a charge Clinton vehemently denied.

"Sen. Obama knows it is not true that my plan forces people to buy insurance even if they can't afford it," she said.

The NAFTA mailer says Clinton was a "champion" for NAFTA while first lady, but now opposes it. NAFTA was negotiated by the first President Bush and signed into law by President Bill Clinton.

"I am fighting to change NAFTA," Hillary Clinton said Saturday.

Akron Beacon Journal Endorses Hillary

COLUMBUS, OH – Today, Senator Hillary Clinton received the endorsement of the Akron Beacon Journal in the upcoming Ohio presidential primary.

In their endorsement editorial, the Beacon Journal wrote, “the country is best-served by the president with the knowledge, savvy and temperament to push Washington forward… Hillary Clinton is the more proven leader.”

Excerpts of the endorsement follow below:

Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary

"This editorial page has in mind the question of which candidate would make the stronger president, which candidate is more prepared for all the Oval Office presents its occupant, and the many challenges before the country at home and abroad.

"We recommend a vote for Hillary Clinton in the March 4 presidential primary...

"The regrettable thing is, too little time in this campaign has been spent acknowledging the past eight years that Clinton has spent representing New York in the U.S. Senate. She has moved beyond those harshly partisan times. She has worked effectively with Democrats and Republicans, even those who once pushed for the impeachment of her husband. She has won praise from the Pentagon for her work on the Armed Services Committee.

"Many military officers recognize she would be a formidable commander in chief.

"Her resilience has deserved more attention, too. Many Clinton watchers point to her grit. There is something larger at work: Her temperament stands out as one of her finest qualities. Lose in a bid for sweeping reform of health care, and Clinton comes back with a program less ambitious but still substantial, achieving broader insurance coverage for children. The 1990s taught lessons, Clinton shedding much self-righteousness, acquiring the skills to navigate successfully in Washington.

"Most impressive is her keen intelligence. No candidate in this race, Republican or Democrat, can match her command of issues, foreign and domestic. Consider health care and education, two of the country's highest priorities. Clinton speaks to each with depth and clarity, articulating, say, the value of universal health coverage or ways to repair the troubled student loan program.

"This race hardly has left room for fiscal discipline, amid all the promises and plans. Yet Clinton has demonstrated the most restraint. She articulates an approach overseas that involves this country playing a leading role, yet finding ways to work with others, understanding that issues such as combating terrorism, curbing climate change and opening trade require global strategies...

"One frequently noted virtue of Hillary Clinton is that she is battle-tested, ready for whatever the Republicans throw at their opponent. Actually, she is tested in a more telling way. Neither John McCain, nor Barack Obama, nor Hillary Clinton has much direct management experience. Still, of the three, Clinton has been on the scene in the governor's office and in the White House, alert to the pace and the breadth of the job. That makes a difference. She understands well the unique demands of the presidency...

"If both candidates represent a certain change, one seeking to become the first black president, the other the first woman president, the country is best-served by the president with the knowledge, savvy and temperament to push Washington forward, building coalitions at the political center. Barack Obama carries much promise of doing so. Hillary Clinton is the more proven leader."

Hillary Clinton: Addressing the Needs of Families In Today’s Economy

Today, Hillary Clinton outlined her agenda to provide tangible benefits for Ohio families, too many of whom are struggling to stay afloat in an economy that is sliding towards recession. Hillary’s plans will help Ohio’s parents manage the responsibilities of caring for their children and caring for their aging parents, afford quality health care, and enable their children to attend college, which opens the door to more job opportunities.

Since 2000, Ohio’s median household income has decreased by 6.6%. Over the same period, health insurance premiums increased by 43% and the cost of college grew by almost 60%. The average gas price in Ohio is now $3, up from $1.50 in 2001. The average home heating costs have gone from $945 to $1,059 in the past year alone, an increase of 12%. Ohio’s families are facing rising costs while they face lower wages.

It’s time for a president who will put Ohio’s families first. As President, Hillary will: create jobs; lower health care costs; increase access to college; create new tax credits to offset the cost of caregiving and long-term care; enact paid leave for all workers; provide more affordable child care; provide guaranteed sick days; and establish American Retirement Accounts and tax benefits for retirement savings.

AP: Hillary Defends Bill Against Misguided Attacks

By BETH FOUHY – 14 hours ago

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton strongly defended her husband's record on civil rights Saturday at a forum in which she acknowledged "painful moments" in a presidential contest pitting the first woman candidate against a pioneering black contender.

At the annual State of the Black Union conference hosted by PBS's Tavis Smiley, Clinton pushed back hard on the notion that Bill Clinton had inflamed racial tensions while campaigning for her in the run-up to South Carolina's primary last month.

The former president — once so popular among black voters he was dubbed the first black president by novelist Toni Morrison — harshly criticized Barack Obama in South Carolina, producing a backlash among blacks that helped lead to his wife's crushing defeat there.

FactCheck.org: Obama Mailing "Misleading"

Clinton said "every Democrat should be outraged" at two "false" mailers that Obama sent to voters in Ohio.

We find that a mailer criticizing her position on trade is indeed misleading. One that attacks her health-care plan we have previously described as straining the facts, though not exactly "false."

* Trade: A mailer showing a locked plant gate quotes Clinton as saying she believed NAFTA was "a boon" to the economy. Those are not her words and Obama was wrong to put quote marks around them. In fact, she's been described by a biographer as privately opposing NAFTA in the White House.

* Health Care: A second mailer said Clinton's health care plan "forces everyone to buy insurance, even if you can't afford it." We have previously said that mailer "lacks context" and strains the facts. But both Obama and Clinton have been exaggerating their differences on this issue.