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Obama guns for Clinton
04/03/2008 14:05 - (SA)
Texas - Barack Obama bids on Tuesday to knock Hillary Clinton out of the White House race after a mud-slinging campaign that Democratic grandees fear is helping nobody but Republican heir John McCain.
But heading into crunch battles in Ohio and Texas, the former first lady is full of fire and has been eviscerating her charismatic rival's qualifications to be commander-in-chief and chief steward of a troubled economy.
While the Democrats fight it out, McCain looks set to lock up the Republican nomination by eliminating former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee.
Aside from Ohio and Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont also hold presidential primaries on Tuesday.
The day's voting will kick off in Vermont at 10:00 GMT and will end in Rhode Island at 02:00 GMT on Wednesday - although a quirky electoral process in Texas will see caucuses start after the Lone Star state's day-long primary.
Clinton said on Monday she was just getting "warmed up" after the longest and costliest primary race in history, and her campaign has bared its teeth in attacking Obama's credentials on trade and national security.
But since the original Super Tuesday of February 5, Obama has been on a roll with 11 nominating victories in a row, and now enjoys a small but clear lead in the Democratic delegate count.
"If we do well in Texas and Ohio, I think the math is such where it's going to be hard for her to win the nomination, and they'll have to make a decision about how much longer they want to pursue it," he told ABC News.
Pressing home his financial advantage after a banner month of fundraising in February, the Illinois senator aired a two-minute ad in Texas that detailed his extraordinary life story and highlighted his opposition to the Iraq war.
Obama leads in Texas by 46-45% in his quest to be the first black president, according to polling by McClatchy Newspapers, MSNBC television and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
A Quinnipiac University survey on Monday had Clinton up 49% to 45% in Ohio, but her lead had shrunk dramatically from a 21 point gap on February 14.
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, a top Democrat who has stayed neutral in the race, argued on Sunday that whoever emerges on top after Tuesday should be anointed the party's standard-bearer.
His call is likely to turn into a tidal wave if Clinton loses Ohio and Texas.
According to RealClearPolitics.com, Obama leads by 1 392 delegates to Clinton's 1,279, and Tuesday's voting is unlikely to do much to change that arithmetic.
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