By Jeff Mason
HOUSTON (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential candidateHillary Clinton questioned rival Barack Obama's experience inhandling a national security crisis on Friday as polls showedher losing ground to Obama ahead of Tuesday's contests in Texasand Ohio.
The Clinton campaign released a new television ad forairing in Texas, which along with Ohio are crucial to herchances of reversing a string of losses to Obama. It showschildren sleeping peacefully in bed as a narrator says:
"It's 3 a.m. and your children are safe and asleep. Butthere's a phone in the White House and it's ringing.Something's happening in the world. Your vote will decide whoanswers that call."
The Clinton campaign hoped the new ad would convince votersshe would be ready to act swiftly and decisively in case ofanother September 11-type crisis in the United States.
Clinton, a New York senator and former first lady onceconsidered the favourite to win her party's presidentialnomination, needs to win Texas and Ohio by wide margins nextTuesday or face the end of her candidacy.
Her struggling campaign got an important morale boost withthe news that she had raised $35 million in campaigncontributions in February, which was the most she had taken inin one month by far. Obama was expected to release figures soonshowing he had out-raised her in February.
Obama struck back hard at Clinton over the ad in remarks toveterans at a town hall meeting at an American Legion post inHouston.
He said the ad raised a legitimate question, which he saidhad been answered by her 2002 Senate vote to authorize use offorce in Iraq, which he said exposed poor judgment.
"I will never see the threat of terrorism as a way to scareup votes, because it's a threat that should rally this countryaround our common enemies. That's the judgment we need at 3a.m.," he said.
OBAMA LEADS IN TEXAS; OHIO CLOSE
Clinton has repeatedly tried to question Obama's experiencebut the first-term Illinois senator, who would be the firstblack president, has ridden a wave of support with a call forsweeping change in Washington.
A Reuters/C-SPAN/Houston Chronicle poll released on Fridaysaid Obama holds a slight lead in Texas, 48 percent to 42percent, over Clinton, who would be the first woman president.
He trails Clinton 44 percent to 42 percent in Ohio -- wellwithin the poll's margin of error of 3.8 percentage points. Hehad been losing to her in Ohio by double digits.
In the Republican race, front-runner John McCain holdscommanding leads over his last major rival, former ArkansasGov. Mike Huckabee. McCain, an Arizona senator, has built anunassailable advantage in delegates who will pick the nomineeat the Republican Party convention in September.
The poll, conducted by Zogby International, found McCainwith big double-digit margins over Huckabee in Texas and Ohio.
The Clinton campaign organized a conference call to saythat anything but big victories by Obama in Texas, Ohio, RhodeIsland and Vermont on Tuesday would be seen as a problem forhim.
"If, given the mantle of front-runner, with enormousfinancial resources given to them, they are unable to win thesestates, it sends a very clear signal that Democrats want thiscampaign to continue and there is some dissatisfaction withSen. Obama's campaign," Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said.
(Additional reporting by John Whitesides, Deborah Charles;writing by Steve Holland; editing by Eric Beech)
(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visitReuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online athttp://blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)
(Editing by Eric Beech)
