PORTLAND, Maine—Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama criticized likely Republican nominee John McCain Saturday while campaigning in advance of the state Democratic caucuses.
In Orono, Clinton warned that Democrats will have a hard time running against McCain's "legendary record," and that she, not Obama, is best positioned to beat him in November's general election. McCain, 71, is a decorated former Navy pilot who spent years as a North Vietnamese prisoner of war and gained a reputation as a political maverick in the Senate.
Clinton, a New York senator, called the Arizona senator a friend, but said a McCain presidency would be tantamount to a third Bush administration and continuation of the Iraq war.
"When I think about running against Sen. McCain, if I'm so fortunate to be the Democratic nominee -- you'll never have to worry about being knocked out of the ring. I think I can go toe to toe with John McCain every single day," Clinton said to cheers while speaking to a capacity crowd at a University of Maine student center. She later spoke at another town hall meeting in Lewiston.
Obama, an Illinois senator, looked ahead to the general election, criticizing McCain without mentioning his Democratic rival.
McCain initially "stood up to George Bush and opposed his first cuts," Obama said at Nicky's Diner in Bangor. Now the Republican senator is calling for continuing those tax cuts, which grant significant breaks to high-income taxpayers, "in his rush to embrace the worst of the Bush legacy."
Obama also spoke to several thousand people at the Bangor Auditorium, where he emphasized his theme of change.
"I've always believed change doesn't happen from the top down," he told the crowd. "It happens from the bottom up."
Maine has largely been off the radar screen this campaign season. But with the Democratic race tight and the candidates scrapping for every delegate, the politicking has picked up noticeably in recent days.
Democrats from 420 Maine towns and cities are holding caucuses on Sunday to determine how the state's 24 delegates will be allotted.
Maine Democratic leaders were expecting high turnouts, although the numbers could be diminished by a snowstorm that was forecast for Saturday night into Sunday. The party received more than 4,000 absentee ballots, double the number that were cast in the 2004 caucuses.
Although Maine's delegate count is tiny, the state has been drawing plenty of attention -- and stepped-up TV advertising -- from the Clinton and Obama campaigns.
Former president Bill Clinton spoke on his wife's behalf at a rally in Portland on Thursday night. Their daughter, Chelsea Clinton, scheduled appearances Friday and Saturday at Bowdoin and Colby colleges and the University of Southern Maine.
Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., campaigned Friday on Obama's behalf at a Portland assisted living center and at Bates College. Kennedy's youngest son, U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., was scheduled to campaign in Maine on Sunday for Obama.
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Associated Press writer Beth Fouhy in Orono contributed to this report.
