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 before 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 she had raised $35 million (17.6 million pounds) incampaign contributions in February, which was the most she hadtaken in in one month by far. Obama aides said he did not planto release his fund-raising total until it is due March 20 butmaintained the Illinois senator had continued to out-raise inFebruary.
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 hesaid had been answered by her 2002 Senate vote to authorize useof force 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.
To further blunt her attack, Obama said he had receivedbacking from Sen. John Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democratwho chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee. "Barack Obama isthe most qualified person -- Democrat or Republican -- to leadour country in the face of enormous challenges," 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.
At an appearance in Waco, Texas, on Friday, Clinton saidObama was "missing in action" in the Senate on key nationalsecurity issues including a vote on labelling an Iranianmilitary group a terrorist organization, and failing to holdhearings as head of a Senate subcommittee on foreign policy.
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.
But McCain spent Friday tried to distance himself fromevangelical leader John Hagee, whose endorsement he embraced onWednesday despite the pastor's controversial views about theCatholic Church.
"In no way did I intend for his endorsement to suggest thatI in turn agree with all of Pastor Hagee's views, which Iobviously do not," McCain said in a statement. Hagee wrote abook that claimed Adolph Hitler and the Catholic Church joinedin a conspiracy to destroy Jews.
Conservative Sen. Sam Brownback issued a statementsupporting McCain. "John McCain would never do anything toinsult any citizen on the basis of their religious beliefs," hesaid.
The poll, conducted by Zogby International, found McCainwith big double-digit margins over Huckabee in Texas and Ohio.
(Additional reporting by John Whitesides, Deborah Charles;writing by Steve Holland; editing by Doina Chiacu)
(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visitReuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online athttp://blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)
