Clinton touts toughness before Pennsylvania vote

SCRANTON, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - Pushing for a strong winto keep her White House hopes alive, Democrat Hillary Clintontouted her toughness on Monday ahead of a showdown withpresidential rival Barack Obama in Pennsylvania.

Clinton, favoured to win Tuesday's contest, needs a bigmargin of victory to boost her chances of catching Obama in theDemocratic race and to head off renewed calls to end hercandidacy.

"We need to really bear down. The last day is here, and theentire world is watching," Clinton told a rally in theblue-collar city of Scranton, where her father grew up. "What'simportant today and tomorrow is that we turn out the vote."

Clinton and Obama are duelling for the Democraticnomination to face Republican John McCain in November'spresidential election. Both candidates spent the day scouringPennsylvania in a late hunt for support.

Voting in the state ends at 8 p.m. EDT (midnight GMT) withfirst results available soon afterward.

Clinton, a New York senator and former first lady, launcheda television ad stressing her ability to handle "the toughestjob in the world" and featuring images of al Qaeda leader Osamabin Laden and damage from Hurricane Katrina.

"You need to be ready for anything -- especially now, withtwo wars, oil prices skyrocketing and an economy in crisis,"the ad's narrator says, throwing in a reference to a famoussaying by former Democratic President Harry Truman.

"If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen," thenarrator says. "Who do you think has what it takes?"

Clinton has questioned whether Obama, a first-term Illinoissenator, has the experience to be commander in chief. Obamacampaign spokesman Bill Burton noted the bin Laden imagery inthe ad.

"It's ironic that she would borrow the president's tacticsin her own campaign and invoke bin Laden to score politicalpoints," he said. "We already have a president who plays thepolitics of fear, and we don't need another."

After several days of sharp attacks on Clinton, Obama beganthe final day focused on pocketbook issues such as the cost ofgasoline, taxes and jobs.

"We've had a terrific contest between myself and SenatorClinton and the other candidates who were originally involved,"Obama told a forum with middle-class voters in the town of BlueBell outside of Philadelphia.

"Democrats are pretty unified around some ideas," Obamasaid, citing the desire to provide universal health care andtackle global warming.

At a stop at a diner in Scranton, Obama brushed aside aquestion about former President Jimmy Carter's meeting withHamas, viewed as a terrorist organization by the United States.

"Why can't I just eat my waffle?" he asked.

PLAYING DOWN EXPECTATIONS

Both camps tried to play down expectations in Pennsylvania,where Clinton's once double-digit lead has dwindled to singledigits in many polls as Obama has outspent her heavily.

"I think it's going to be pretty close and we'recampaigning hard," Obama said.

Obama leads Clinton in delegates to the August conventionin Denver, but neither can clinch the nomination without thehelp of superdelegates -- nearly 800 party insiders who arefree to support either candidate.

Clinton hopes a big win in Pennsylvania and a strong runthrough the nine remaining Democratic contests will convincesuperdelegates she is the candidate who can capture the bigstates crucial to a November election victory.

Her financial statement filed with the Federal ElectionCommission late on Sunday showed she raised less than half ofwhat Obama did in March -- $20.9 million to $42.8 million --and had more debt than cash at the end of the month.

Clinton has resisted calls from Obama supporters to pullout of the race and let him focus on the election battleagainst McCain.

McCain launched a five-day tour on Monday of economicallystruggling areas rarely visited by Republicans. He opened inSelma, Alabama, at a landmark of the U.S. civil rights movement-- the bridge where state police attacked more than 500 civilrights demonstrators in 1965 on a day known as "Bloody Sunday."

McCain spoke highly of Democratic Rep. John Lewis ofGeorgia -- an Obama supporter -- who took part in the Selmamarch and was beaten by police.

McCain's trip also will take him to the hard-hit steel townof Youngstown, Ohio, the Appalachia region of Kentucky andhurricane-stricken New Orleans.

(Additional reporting by Steve Holland and Caren Bohan;writing by John Whitesides, editing by David Wiessler)

(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visitReuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online athttp:/blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)