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Obama escapes debate unscathed
22/02/2008 09:21 - (SA)
Austin, Texas - Barack Obama on Thursday escaped unscathed from a vital debate which Democratic foe Hillary Clinton hoped to use to slow his surging White House quest, 12 days before their next electoral showdown.
On another day of high drama in the relentless 2008 election, presumptive Republican nominee John McCain meanwhile was forced to deny he had an extra-marital affair after a report linked him to a female lobbyist.
Senator Clinton needed a game-changing moment at the debate at the University of Texas, as new polls showed her rival slashing her leads in her must-win fortress states of Texas and Ohio, which vote on March 4.
Obama meanwhile avoided serious gaffes, fought back against her claims that some of his soaring oratory was plagiarised, and suggested her vote to authorise war in Iraq sparked questions about her leadership skills.
"If your candidacy is going to be about words, then they should be your own words. That's, I think, a very simple proposition," Clinton said, drawing cheers and some jeers from the audience at the University of Texas.
"Lifting whole passages from someone else's speeches is not change you can believe in, it's change you can Xerox," the New York senator said, ripping off her rival's campaign slogan.
But Obama rejected accusations that he had stolen language from Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick as "silly season" politics and in a cheeky quip defended his speeches: "I've got to admit, some of them are pretty good."
In her strongest moments, Clinton scored points on her signature issue of healthcare, and at the end of the encounter gave an emotion-tinged answer on her greatest personal challenges.
'I am honoured to be here with Barack Obama'
"I just have to shake my head in wonderment, because with all of the challenges that I've had, they are nothing compared to what I see happening in the lives of Americans every single day."
"The hits I've taken in life are nothing compared to what goes on every single day in the lives of people across our country," she said, telling of her visit to wounded servicemen at a new hospital.
And in a generous tribute to the man who is threatening to sink her hopes of becoming the first woman president, Clinton said:
"You know, no matter what happens in this contest, ... I am honoured to be here with Barack Obama. I am absolutely honoured," she said, and reached out to shake her rival's hand.
Even Clinton's husband, former president Bill Clinton, admits she must win Texas and Ohio to keep her quest alive, as she trails Obama in the party's nominating delegates with more than half of state contests behind them.
But hours before the Democratic debate, there was more woe for Clinton, with new polls by the Washington Post and ABC News showing she and Obama tied in Texas and her lead down to seven points in Ohio.
The story about McCain's alleged links to 40-year-old lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, when he last ran for president eight years ago, landed like a bombshell in the Republican race.
With his wife Cindy standing by him, the 71-year-old Arizona senator rebutted the suggestion of a romantic liaison with Iseman in a hastily called press conference following the publication of a New York Times article.
Cuba on the agenda
"Obviously I'm very disappointed in the article. It's not true," said McCain, pledging to press ahead and win the last few delegates he needs for the Republican nomination.
The article cited unnamed sources as saying McCain advisors were convinced "the relationship had become romantic" between the senator and Iseman.
Asked if he had had an extramarital relationship with Iseman in the run-up to his doomed 2000 campaign, McCain replied tersely, "No."
McCain also denied extending improper favours to companies represented by Iseman when he was chairperson of the Senate commerce committee.
Laying out their differences during the debate, Obama said that as president he would be prepared to meet without preconditions with Cuba's next leader, while Clinton said she would withhold the carrot of an immediate meeting.
"I think it's important for us to have direct contact, not just with Cuba, but I think the principle applies generally," Obama said, stressing that intense preparation should precede any such talks.
Clinton said an early offer of a presidential summit "undermines the capacity for us to actually take the measure of somebody like Raul Castro or (Iranian president Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad".
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