'I never quit,' vows Clinton

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton compared herself to under-dog boxer Rocky Balboa today as she continued to insist she will be staying in the close race for her party’s nomination.

Mrs Clinton’s self-portrayal as a fighter who never gives up comes after some Democrats raised fears that a prolonged battle between the former first lady and her rival Barack Obama could damage the party’s chances of winning the White House in November.

She has also suggested that Mr Obama’s supporters want to keep upcoming primary states from playing a role in selecting the party’s presidential nominee by pressuring her to get out of the race.

On the campaign trail in Pennsylvania, which is the next state to vote in the US primary season in three weeks’ time, the former first lady recalled the infamous scene for the 1976 Oscar-winning film where Rocky races up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The 60-year-old New York senator said ending her campaign now would be as if “Rocky Balboa had gotten halfway up those art museum steps and said, ’Well, I guess that’s about far enough.’

“Let me tell you something, when it comes to finishing a fight, Rocky and I have a lot in common. I never quit. I never give up. And neither do the American people.”

She went on: “The Republicans aren’t going to give up without a fight.

“And no matter how beautiful your rhetoric, the Republicans aren’t going to turn off their attack machine – it doesn’t have an off-switch.

“But one thing you know about me is that when I say I’ll fight for you, I’ll fight for you.

“I know what it’s like to stumble. I know what it means to get knocked down. But I’ve never stayed down, and I never will.”

Mr Obama is winning the race with the support of 1,631 delegates, compared to 1,501 who back Mrs Clinton, according to the latest Associated Press figures.

But he told Pittsburgh radio station KDKA: “I’ve said for the last three days that I think that Senator Clinton should stay in the race as long as she wants.

“She has every right to compete and I’m looking forward to competing against her.”

Last week, Senator Patrick Leahy became the first leading Democrat to openly call on Mrs Clinton to abandon her bid and back the young Illinois senator.

Others seemed to agree. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson called Mr Obama’s lead all but insurmountable, and Massachusetts Senator John Kerry said the contest would be reaching “a point of judgment” very soon.

As the close race looks set to be decided by around 800 so-called superdelegates, elected officials and party leaders whose votes are not tied to the primary season results, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the race should be allowed to reach its conclusion.

“These superdelegates have the right to vote their conscience and who they think would be the better president, or who can win, but they also then should get involved in the campaigns and make their power known there,” Ms Pelosi told ABC’s Good Morning America.

Ms Pelosi repeated her view that it would be harmful to the party if superdelegates were perceived to overturn the will of voters, but made clear she was not suggesting Mrs Clinton should withdraw from the race.

“I think the election has to run its course,” she said.

“I think that for all that I have said about respecting the will of the people that the inference to be drawn from that is that we have to continue the election in terms of hearing from the people.”

But she added: “I do think that it is important for us to get behind one candidate a long time before we go to the Democratic National Convention if we hope to win in November.”

Meanwhile, Mr McCain – who gained enough support to win his party’s nomination several weeks ago – addressed foreign relations and the situation in Basra.

The former Vietnam prisoner of war, who has tied his candidacy to military success in Iraq, criticised both Britain and the US for doing too little to stop Iranian Shiite clerics from infiltrating and gaining significant influence in the area after the initial invasion in 2003.

Referring to the recent outbreak of fighting there, in which around 400 people have been killed, Mr McCain, said: “These are the penalties we continue to pay for the very bad mishandling of the war for nearly four years while they (Iranians and their influence) became solidly entrenched.”