Clinton says Obama lacks substance
LORDSTOWN, Ohio (Reuters) - Democratic presidentialcandidate Hillary Clinton accused rival Barack Obama of lackingsubstance and experience on Thursday as she fought forpolitical traction after a string of losses.
Former Republican candidate Mitt Romney, working to unifyhis party behind one-time rival Sen. John McCain, decided toendorse the all-but-certain nominee McCain with a ceremonyplanned in Boston.
Brandishing a pair of blue boxing gloves given to her at aGeneral Motors automobile plant, Clinton portrayed herself as afighter and Obama as someone who makes a lot of speeches thatsound good but do not offer solutions.
"That's the difference between me and my opponent. Myopponent makes speeches. I offer solutions. It is one thing toget people excited. I want to empower you," the New Yorksenator said.
It was a new line of attack for Clinton, the one-timefront-runner for her party's nomination who now finds herselfin political peril and forced to scramble for sweepingvictories in Ohio and Texas on March 4 and in Pennsylvania onApril 22.
She focused on an area that some Democratic strategists sayis a weak spot for Illinois Sen. Obama -- his tendency to giveuplifting, inspirational speeches that offer little in the wayof specifics about how he would lead the United States ifelected in November.
"Now, over the years, you've heard plenty of promises fromplenty of people in plenty of speeches. And some of thosespeeches were probably pretty good. But speeches don't put foodon the table. Speeches don't fill up your tank, or fill yourprescription, or do anything about that stack of bills thatkeeps you up at night," Clinton said.
The new rhetoric comes days after Clinton shook up the toplevel of her campaign staff and is attempting to re-energizeher White House bid, as Obama rides a wave of momentum from awinning streak that reached eight states in a row on Tuesday.
A new poll showed that at this point, she is in a strongposition in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
The Quinnipiac University poll said she leads Obama 55percent to 34 percent among likely Democratic voters in Ohio,and 52 percent to 36 percent in Pennsylvania.
On the Republican side, Romney and McCain had tangledbitterly during the campaign as they fought for their party'snomination. Romney had tried to raise doubts about McCain'sconservative credentials, and McCain still faces the dilemma oftrying to get the party's conservative base behind him.
After a string of losses Romney dropped out of the racelast Thursday saying it would be best to try to unify the partyto prepare for a tough general election battle against eitherof the two Democrats.
Campaigning in Vermont and Rhode Island, McCain accusedObama of backing an economic plan that would require taxincreases to finance.
Obama had offered a detailed economic plan on Wednesdaythat he said would create 5 million new jobs in the greenenergy sector and establish a infrastructure bank to spend $60billion (30 billion pounds) over a decade to repairdeteriorating roads, bridges and waterways.
Obama said he would pay for the plan by ending the Iraq warand increases taxes on corporations and wealthy Americans.
"It's a very large expenditure of tax dollars, and we'veheard this before about quote, 'taxing the rich.'" said McCain.
(Additional reporting by Andy Sullivan with McCain andJason Szep in Boston, Writing by Steve Holland, editing byDavid Wiessler)
(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visitReuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online athttp://blogs.reuters.com/trail08/