Clinton steps up Obama criticism
DALLAS - Facing a close and critical battle in Texas for the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton stepped up her criticism of rival Barack Obama yesterday, saying the Illinois senator does not have the national security credentials to take on likely GOP nominee John McCain in the general election.
"My opponent gets a little unhappy when I talk about national security. He says that talkin' about the realities of the job of being commander in chief, like these 3 a.m. phone calls that come out of the blue, is somehow fear-mongering," Clinton said, often dropping her g's as she addressed boisterous rallies in Fort Worth and Dallas. "I gotta tell you, I don't think people in Texas scare all that easily."
The New York senator - who Friday began airing an ad in Texas showing peacefully sleeping children and asking voters whom they would want answering the White House phone during a late-night crisis - accused Obama of refusing to engage with her on national security issues.
"If Senator Obama doesn't want to debate me about national security, how is he going to debate Senator McCain?" Clinton asked.
Earlier, Clinton was even more pointed in her criticism of her opponent, who has made his early opposition to the Iraq war a defining difference between the two Democratic contenders.
"I think you'll be able to imagine many things Senator McCain will be able to say. He's never been the president, but he will put forth his lifetime of experience. I will put forth my lifetime of experience. Senator Obama will put forth a speech he made in 2002," Clinton told reporters on her plane en route to Fort Worth from San Antonio.
Obama spokesman Bill Burton said Clinton's vote to authorize the Iraq war showed a lack of judgment. "Senator Clinton is right when she says she's been tested on national security, but it's a test she has resoundingly failed," he said.
SUSAN MILLIGAN
Expecting victory, McCain
plans N.H. 'thank-you tour'
The following week, McCain will take a "thank-you tour" of New Hampshire, where he won his first primary, said adviser Steve Duprey, a former chairman of the state Republican Party. It is an early indication that McCain's upcoming itinerary will be determined more by general election opportunities than the primary calendar.
The victory proved crucial, weakening former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and setting up McCain to defeat Mike Huckabee, who had won the Iowa caucuses, in South Carolina. Heading into Tuesday, McCain has 1,014 of the 1,191 delegates needed to become the nominee, according to an Associated Press count.
SASHA ISSENBERG
Newly pledged backing
could give Clinton a boost
Hillary Clinton collected a handful of endorsements yesterday, and while two actresses are probably the best known, the other two supporters are likely more consequential.
Clinton said that Melanie Griffith of "Working Girl" is backing her candidacy, along with Eva Longoria of "Desperate Housewives" fame. Less glamorous is El Paso Mayor John Cook, but his support could help in must-win Texas on Tuesday.
The fourth endorser is retired General Hugh Shelton, who served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
FOON RHEE 