By John Whitesides and Caren Bohan
MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - Barack Obama and Hillary Clintontraded fresh attacks and touted their economic leadership onSaturday as they took their Democratic presidential duel toWisconsin.
Clinton made her first campaign appearance in Wisconsin andpromptly announced she would cut her state campaign schedule bya full day and leave on Monday, raising questions about herconfidence in her chances in Tuesday's primary.
Her husband, former President Bill Clinton, has been in thestate and her daughter, Chelsea, will stay on to campaign.
"We're going to be here through Monday, and given the pressof all the events that are going on -- Chelsea will back in thestate, Bill obviously was here. We have great surrogates,"Clinton told reporters on a stop at a bratwurst restaurant inKenosha.
Obama, a first-term Illinois senator, has beaten Clinton inthe last eight contests and gained the upper hand in theirbattle to become their party's White House nominee inNovember's election.
Obama has spent four days in Wisconsin since his last roundof victories on Tuesday and he has a slight lead in stateopinion polls. Clinton has focused on March 4 votes in Ohio andTexas, counting on victories there to revive her hopes.
Clinton kept up her criticism of Obama for refusing todebate her before the Wisconsin vote. She aired two ads earlierin the week hitting him on the issue.
"There are real differences here that we deserve to exploreand the people of Wisconsin deserve to have answers to theirquestions," the New York senator said.
Obama launched his own advertisement responding to theattacks. The two are scheduled to debate on Thursday in Texas,and the week after that in Ohio.
"After 18 debates, with two more coming, Hillary saysBarack Obama is ducking debates? It's the same old politics,"an announcer says in Obama's new ad.
Obama rejected her criticism that he is all talk and noaction, and lacks her substance and experience.
"The question is not who has got the policies," Obama saidat a rally in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. "The question is who canget them done, who can bring people together."
Democrats in Hawaii also vote on Tuesday and Obama, who wasborn in the state, is expected to win there. Wisconsin andHawaii have a combined 94 delegates who select the nominee atthe party convention in August.
ECONOMY THE FOCUS
Both candidates have focused on the economy recently. Ohioand Wisconsin are swing states with economic woes and largepopulations of blue-collar Democrats, a key part of Clinton'sconstituency.
Clinton also hopes to profit in Texas through her strengthamong Hispanics, who are expected to be at least one-quarter ofthe state's Democratic vote.
The two candidates appeared separate on Saturday night at aparty dinner in Milwaukee.
"It will take more than just speeches to fulfil our dreams.It will take a lot of hard work," Clinton said, promising toget government "back in the solutions business."
Obama said he would be better suited to take on Republicanfront-runner John McCain on foreign policy, noting Clinton'sSenate votes to authorize war in Iraq and label an Iranianmilitary unit a terror group, as well as her criticism of hiswillingness to talk to rogue foreign leaders.
"If I am the nominee of this party, John McCain will not beable to say that I agreed with him on voting for the war inIraq; agreed with him on giving George Bush the benefit of thedoubt on Iran; and agree with him in embracing the Bush-Cheneypolicy of not talking to leaders we don't like," he said in hisspeech text.
Victories in Texas and Ohio have become vital for Clintonas she tries to make up a gap with Obama in the race forpledged delegates awarded by the state-by-state contests topick a Democratic nominee.
Clinton adviser Harold Ickes said she would nearly catchObama in the delegate race if she won those two states, and thetwo would be roughly even when the primary process ends inJune. He said she would battle all the way to the convention ifnecessary.
The ultimate winner could be determined by support from 796"superdelegates" -- party insiders and elected officials whoare free to back any candidate.
McCain took the day off on Saturday before claiming theendorsement of former President George H.W. Bush, the father ofthe current president, at an event in Houston on Monday.
McCain is almost certain to be the Republican presidentialnominee for the November general election after defeating hismain rival, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and winninghis endorsement.
McCain's nearest rival is former Arkansas Gov. MikeHuckabee, who badly trails the Arizona senator in theRepublican delegate count.
(Additional reporting by Caren Bohan and Jim Wolf; Editingby Stuart Grudgings)
(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visitReuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online athttp://blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)
