Obama tackles Clinton over war support

Presidential candidate Barack Obama seized on his endorsement by a leading anti-war group to disparage Democrat rival Hillary Clinton’s judgment on voting for war in Iraq, while the former First Lady used the latest dire US economic news to criticise President George Bush.

Mr Obama’s long-standing opposition to the war helped him pick up the backing of MoveOn.org, a liberal network that counts 3.2 million members.

The group said that it has 1.7 million members in the 22 states scheduled to vote in Democratic primary races on Super Tuesday, and it would immediately begin a campaign to get them behind Mr Obama.

The Super Tuesday contests are crucial for both the Democrats and the Republicans.

For the Democrats, 1,681 delegates are at stake while 2,025 delegates are needed to secure the nomination. The Republicans have 1,023 delegates at stake, and 1,191 are needed to win that party’s nomination.

Among the Republicans, Mr McCain, the veteran senator and former Vietnam prisoner-of-war, has a solid lead over chief rival Mitt Romney.

Mr Romney is pressing on despite a painful loss this week in Florida’s nomination contest.

Ahead of Super Tuesday, the Republicans were competing in a minor contest in Maine, where non-binding caucuses were being held from yesterday until tomorrow. Maine’s Democrats will hold caucuses a week later.

Mr McCain on Thursday picked up a key endorsement from California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and had earlier received the delegates from Rudy Giuliani’s failed presidential bid – support that could be crucial in delegate-rich New York and California.

Yesterday, he picked up an endorsement from the Los Angeles Times.

Among California’s Democrats, anti-Iraq war sentiment could play a role in voting.

Mr Obama lumped Ms Clinton in with Mr McCain yesterday as a supporter of the unpopular Iraq war.

The pitch is a reminder of his early opposition, which has helped fuel his candidacy among anti-war voters.

“It is time for new leadership that understands the way to win a debate with John McCain or any Republican who is nominated is not by nominating someone who agreed with him on voting for the war in Iraq,” Mr Obama said during a speech in Colorado.

Ms Clinton seized on a new economic report that showed that US employers cut jobs in January – the first such reduction in more than four years – to highlight the failings of the Bush administration and advertise her own plan, which would include extended unemployment insurance and a five-year interest rate freeze on subprime mortgages.

Mr Obama latched on to the same dour report, saying yesterday it drives home the need “to turn the page on the failed Bush policies of tax breaks for those who didn’t need them and didn’t ask for them”.

Meanwhile, television talk show host Oprah Winfrey was returning to the campaign trail in support of her friend Mr Obama.

Ms Winfrey planned to hold a rally with Mr Obama’s wife, Michelle, and Caroline Kennedy – daughter of former President John F. Kennedy – tomorrow in Los Angeles.

Ms Winfrey held massive rallies for Mr Obama in December in early voting states.

In an exceedingly tight Democratic race for the White House, Mr Obama appears to have most of the momentum, including high-profile endorsements and impressive fundraising.

In addition to the anti-war group, one of California’s largest unions, the Service Employees International Union, decided to support him, he also picked up endorsements from The Los Angeles Times and the New York City-based Transport Workers Union.

The Times, the main newspaper in the second-largest US city, praised him as an inspiring leader “most focused on steering the nation toward constructive change.”

But Ms Clinton has considerable institutional strength and is still widely favoured to do better overall than Mr Obama on Tuesday.

Neither senator is expected to clinch the Democratic nomination in the votes, due to the close race and party rules that do not permit “winner take all” state contests like those of the Republicans.

Among the Republicans, Mr McCain has taken the lead with his win this week in Florida, securing new momentum from the Schwarzenegger and Giuliani endorsements, and support from The Los Angeles Times.

Mr Romney is conceding the bulk of the Northeast to rival Mr McCain, counting instead on his home state of Massachusetts, a split in California and wins in a series of caucus states to extend his presidential campaign beyond Super Tuesday.

Missing from Mr Romney’s latest campaign schedule were winner-take-all states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, which account for 180 of the 1,023 delegates at stake.

The omissions were telling with voting in 21 Republican contests on Tuesday.

If he fails to capture enough delegates to offset Mr McCain’s likely wins in other states and strong showing in California, Mr Romney could end his campaign.