Shame on Clinton, says Obama
14/04/2008 07:27  - (SA)  

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Steelton, Pennsylvania - Democrat Barack Obama lashed out at presidential rival Hillary Rodham Clinton on Sunday, mocking her vocal support for gun rights and saying her record in the Senate and as first lady belied her stated commitment to working class voters and their concerns.

"She knows better. Shame on her. Shame on her," Obama told an audience at a union hall.

The Illinois senator has spent three days on the defensive after comments he made at a San Francisco fundraiser were disclosed that suggested working class people are bitter about their economic circumstances and "cling to guns and religion" as a result.

Obama on Sunday reiterated his regret for his choice of words at the fundraiser but suggested they had been twisted and mischaracterised.

He said he had expected blowback from Republican nominee-in-waiting John McCain, but had been "a little disappointed" to be criticised by Clinton. The issue is likely to arise again on Monday when both men address the annual meeting of The Associated Press in Washington.

Commitment to guns

Then, laughing along with the union audience, Obama noted that Clinton seemed much more interested in guns since he made his comments than she had in the past.

"She is running around talking about how this is an insult to sportsmen, how she values the Second Amendment. She's talking like she's Annie Oakley," Obama said, invoking the famed female sharpshooter immortalised in the musical Annie Get Your Gun.

He continued: "Hillary Clinton is out there like she's on the duck blind every Sunday. She's packing a six-shooter. Come on, she knows better. That's some politics being played by Hillary Clinton."

Clinton has told campaign audiences that she supports the rights of hunters. On Saturday, she reminisced about learning to shoot on family vacations in Scranton, where her father grew up. She's also said she once shot a duck in Arkansas, where she served as first lady.

Clinton, who is trailing Obama in the popular vote and pledged delegates, has pounded Obama since Friday, when audio from his San Francisco appearance was posted on The Huffington Post website. She hoped the comments might give her a new opening to court working-class Democrats less than 10 days before the Pennsylvania primary on April 22, which she needs win to keep her campaign going.

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