Clinton intensifies her attacks on new front-runner Obama
She calls on her rival for the Democratic presidential nomination to accept more invitations to debate, including one before next week's Wisconsin contest.
A day after she lost her status as front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, Hillary Rodham Clinton stepped up her attacks on Sen. Barack Obama, challenging her opponent to debate.
Obama of Illinois won three contests on Tuesday, in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia, extending his recent streak to eight consecutive wins over Clinton, of New York. The victories give Obama a slight edge in delegates over Clinton, who has long portrayed herself as the inevitable winner of the Democratic nomination.
On the Republican side, Arizona Sen. John McCain solidified his claim to be the presumptive candidate by defeating former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in Tuesday's three primaries. Huckabee has insisted he will stay in the race even though he is too far behind in delegates to win the nomination.
After visiting GOP members of the House, McCain told reporters that he would like Huckabee to end his campaign, but understood the former governor's desire to stay.
"I would like for him to withdraw today; it would be much easier," McCain said. "But I respect his right to remain in this race for just as long as he wants to."
In the wake of Tuesday's primaries, the edginess and drama were mainly on the Democratic side as Obama and Clinton campaign for next Tuesday's contests in Wisconsin and Hawaii.
Clinton has called for more debates with Obama and her campaign stepped up the call today in a broadcast ad that notes the former first lady has accepted an invitation in Wisconsin to debate.
"Hillary Clinton has said yes," the announcer says. "Barack Obama hasn't."
"Maybe he'd prefer to give speeches than have to answer questions," the announcer adds in the 30-second spot.
"Wisconsin deserves to hear both candidates debate the issues that matter. . . . And that's . . . not debatable."
Clinton today was in Texas, which holds its primary on March 4, along with Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Obama campaigned this morning at a General Motors plant in Janesville, Wis., where he blamed Washington, D.C., for current economic problems. Exit polls by the Associated Press showed that voters on Tuesday cited the economy as the No. 1 issue in the campaign.
"We are not standing on the brink of recession due to forces beyond our control," Obama said in his speech. "The fallout from the housing crisis that's cost jobs and wiped out savings was not an inevitable part of the business cycle. It was a failure of leadership and imagination in Washington.
