By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential hopefulHillary Clinton called rival Barack Obama a risky choice tolead U.S. foreign policy even as Obama gained ground in thebattleground U.S. states of Ohio and Texas on Monday.
With a week to go until a potentially pivotal vote in thetwo states on March 4, the Democratic race took on anincreasingly negative tone. Clinton needs big victories thereto salvage her campaign to be the Democratic nominee in theNovember election after losing 11 straight contests to Obama.
The Obama campaign accused the Clinton camp of "the mostshameful, offensive fear-mongering" when a photograph of theIllinois senator, dressed as a Somali elder with whiteheaddress and matching robe, turned up on the popular DrudgeReport Web site.
"I think the American people are saddened when they seethese kind of politics," Obama told WOAI radio in San Antonio.
The Drudge Report said the photo was taken in 2006 duringObama's visit to northeastern Kenya. The Democraticfront-runner has fought a whispering campaign from fringeelements that say erroneously he is a Muslim.
The Web site said in an accompanying article the photo hadbeen circulated by Clinton campaign staffers. The Clintoncampaign said it had not sanctioned the photo's release butthat with 700 staffers it could not be known whether someonehad sent it out unofficially.
"If Barack Obama's campaign wants to suggest that a photoof him wearing traditional Somali clothing is divisive, theyshould be ashamed. Hillary Clinton has worn the traditionalclothing of countries she has visited and had those photospublished widely," Clinton campaign manager Maggie Williamssaid.
In a foreign policy speech, Clinton said Obama had veeredbetween pledging to meet leaders of hostile nations like Iranand Cuba if elected in November to warning of U.S. militaryaction against al Qaeda targets in Pakistan.
"He wavers from seeming to believe that mediation andmeetings without preconditions can solve the world'sintractable problems, to advocating rash, unilateral militaryaction without cooperation from our allies in the mostsensitive region of the world," Clinton said.
A Quinnipiac University poll said Clinton led Obama in Ohioby 51 percent to 40 percent among likely Democratic voters.
That was a narrowing from the lead of 55 percent to 34percent she held less than two weeks ago, and was a sign thatObama's momentum was paying dividends in Ohio.
A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll said Obama hadedged ahead of Clinton in Texas, 50 percent to 46 percent,after having been behind her narrowly last week.
'TESTED AND READY'
Clinton's criticism of Obama for pledging to meet leaderssuch as Raul Castro, who took over in Cuba from his brotherFidel Castro, was particularly biting.
"We simply cannot legitimize rogue regimes or weakenAmerican prestige by impulsively agreeing to presidential-leveltalks with no preconditions. It may sound good, but it doesn'tmeet the real world test of foreign policy," she said.
Obama was unmoved. At a rally in Cincinnati, he reiteratedhis pledge to meet hostile foreign leaders if elected.
"We need to rediscover the power of diplomacy. So I saidvery early on in this campaign that I will meet not just withour friends but with our enemies, not just the leaders I like,but leaders I don't," he said.
Clinton said Americans took a chance on President George W.Bush, who had little foreign policy experience when elected andled the country into the unpopular Iraq war. She suggested the46-year-old Obama was similarly inexperienced.
"We've seen the tragic result of having a president who hadneither the experience nor the wisdom to manage our foreignpolicy and safeguard our national security. We can't let thathappen again," she said.
Clinton, who has touted her years as first lady and NewYork senator since 2001, used the speech to describe herself as"tested and ready" to lead U.S. foreign policy at a time ofturmoil, including wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, countriesseeking nuclear weapons and challenges caused by poverty and
AIDS.
Clinton, after a fairly civil debate with Obama lastThursday in Texas during which she said she was honoured toshare the stage with him, has toughened her message in the pastfew days.
(Additional reporting by Jeff Mason in Ohio and Jim Forsythin San Antonio; Editing by Peter Cooney)
(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visitReuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online athttp://blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)
