By Caren Bohan
STEELTON, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - U.S. Democrat BarackObama accused his rivals for the U.S. presidency on Sunday oftwisting his words for political gain when they branded him anelitist for saying embittered small-town voters were clingingto guns or religion.
"I am the first to admit that some of the words I chose, Ichose badly," Obama told steel workers in Pennsylvania. "Theywere subject to misinterpretation. They were subject to betwisted. And I regret that, I regret that deeply."
But he added, "It sounds like there's some politics beingplayed."
In comments at a private fundraiser that became public onFriday, Obama, an Illinois senator, said a week ago thateconomic problems led voters in small towns to become "bitter"and to "cling to guns or religion."
His rival for the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton,and the likely Republican nominee, John McCain, seized on theremarks to paint Obama as an elitist with a condescending viewof middle-class voters.
The comments have the potential to threaten Obama's chancesin Pennsylvania, which votes on April 22 to help pick aDemocratic candidate to run against McCain in November'spresidential election.
Before the remarks became public Obama, who would be thefirst black U.S. president, had been cutting into the largelead that Clinton once held in Pennsylvania opinion polls.
He leads her in pledged delegates won in state contests,but neither is likely to reach the 2,024 needed for nominationat the Democrats' national convention in August without supportof the nearly 800 superdelegates.
TURNING THE TABLES
Trying to turn the tables on both rivals, Obama said hiswords had been twisted to suggest he was demeaning people whowere religious and gun owners.
"I am a man of deep faith," he said, adding that herespected the right of people to own guns. "I have repeatedlytalked about the tradition that people pass on from generationto generation, hunters and sportsman."
He accused McCain, an Arizona senator, of lacking a plan todeal with the mortgage crisis and Clinton, a New York senator,of being too close to lobbyists, contending they were the oneswho were out of touch.
He went a step further in criticizing Clinton, saying"shame on her," and also mocked Clinton's recounting of aduck-hunting trip she took in Arkansas many years ago.
"She's talking like she's Annie Oakley," Obama said,referring to a heroine of the American Wild West. "I want tosee that picture of her out there in the duck blind."
The Clinton campaign responded by labelling Obama'scomments an "outburst" and accusing him of attacking Clinton'scharacter. "The shame is his," said Phil Singer, deputycommunications director for the Clinton campaign.
How much staying power the controversy has is difficult togauge. In nearly two years of a topsy-turvy campaign, issuesand incidents have come and gone it remained to be seen whetherthis one would play a role in the Pennsylvania vote.
A spot check in the small town of Mechanicsburg showed nobig outcry from voters.
"I'm not upset about it," said Richard Morrison, 61, alawyer who said he was leaning Democratic. "I heard what he wastrying to say. It is an unfair way to broadly characterize astate. But there is a sense of bitterness out there."
(Additional reporting by John Whitesides and Ed Stoddard,Editing by Howard Goller)
(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visitReuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online athttp:blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)
