By Andy Sullivan
TYLER, Texas (Reuters) - Republican John McCain andDemocrat Barack Obama faced off on Wednesday in a possibleprelude to a U.S. presidential election battle, tangling overwhether Iraq would be prey for al Qaeda if U.S. troops arewithdrawn.
Democrat Hillary Clinton, who needs big wins in Texas andOhio next Tuesday to salvage her struggling candidacy, declaredherself optimistic about her chances following her final debatewith Obama on Tuesday night in Cleveland.
"What keeps me optimistic is the success I've had thus farand what I think the prospects are for Tuesday. People havejust been really rallying to my candidacy," she said on hercampaign plane before an event in Zanesville, Ohio.
She received a new blow, however, when U.S. Rep. JohnLewis, a leader of the American civil rights movement, switchedhis support from Clinton to Obama for his party's presidentialnomination.
"Something is happening in America," the Georgia Democratsaid in a statement explaining his shift. "The people arepressing for a new day in American politics and I think theysee Sen. Barack Obama as a symbol of that change."
Arizona Sen. McCain and Illinois Sen. Obama looked pastClinton and quarrelled anew over the war in Iraq as itapproaches its fifth anniversary in March.
At 71, McCain would be the oldest person elected to a firstpresidential term; Obama, at 46, would be one of the youngest.
The unpopular war is an important fault line in thecampaign for the November presidential election, with Democratsadvocating a quick U.S. troop withdrawal while McCain insists apullout would amount to surrender and give Islamic extremists avictory.
McCain, who has linked his candidacy to a successfuloutcome in Iraq, attacked Obama's stance on the war at a townhall meeting in Texas as he seeks to wrap up the Republicanpresidential nomination.
Obama said during the debate with Clinton that once hewithdrew U.S. troops from Iraq, if al Qaeda were to form a basethere, "then we will have to act in a way that secures theAmerican homeland and our interests abroad."
"I have some news," McCain said. "Al Qaeda is in Iraq. It'scalled Al Qaeda in Iraq. My friends, if we left, they wouldn'tbe establishing a base, they'd be taking a country and I'm notgoing to allow that to happen."
CLINTON PUSHES ECONOMY
McCain was somewhat undermined by Director of NationalIntelligence Michael McConnell, who told U.S. lawmakersWednesday that Al Qaeda in Iraq had suffered major setbackslast year and although still "capable of mounting lethalattacks," the group had suffered hundreds of members killed orcaptured.
Obama hit back at a rally in Columbus, Ohio, saying McCainhad joined President George W. Bush in supporting a war "thatshould have never been authorized and should have never beenwaged."
"I have some news for John McCain, and that is that therewas no such thing as al Qaeda in Iraq until George Bush andJohn McCain decided to invade Iraq," he said to cheers.
He mocked McCain for his oft-repeated remark that he willget al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden if he has to follow him tothe "gates of hell."
"So far all he's done is follow George Bush into amisguided war in Iraq," Obama said.
Clinton was pushing economic themes in Ohio, a state thathas lost 23 percent of its manufacturing jobs since 2000 andwhich the subprime mortgage crisis has hit hard, withforeclosures climbing 88 percent in 2007.
"The economy is the number one issue in the country andit's unbelievably important here in Ohio," she said. "We'resliding into a recession and the price of everything is goingup at the same time."
Clinton, a New York senator who would be America's firstwoman president, has lost the last 11 state contests to Obama.
"What keeps me going is that I know I would be the bestpresident. I know that I could handle the problems we have hereat home and around the world. I have no doubt about that," shesaid.
In San Antonio, McCain sought to broaden his appeal amongconservatives by picking up the endorsement of John Hagee, apro-Israel evangelical leader. Hagee's apocalyptic writingshave depicted Israel as a blood-soaked battleground that willsee the return of Jesus Christ.
(Additional reporting by Jeff Mason and John Whitesides inOhio; Writing by Steve Holland; editing by David Wiessler andStuart Grudgings)
(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visitReuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online athttp://blogs.reuters.com/trail08/
