Clinton, Obama
Clash; Romney Under Attack

Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton clashed in the homestretch to the critical New Hampshire primary, deriding each other's claims to be the true candidate of change. Clinton told Democratic voters they should elect ''a doer, not a talker.'' Obama countered that his critics are stuck in the politics of the past.

On the Republican side, an emboldened John McCain declared ''I will win,'' and rival Mitt Romney scrambled to prevent a second big race to slip away in the frenzied final hours before Tuesday's first-in-the nation New Hampshire presidential primary.

The Republicans met Sunday night for a candidate forum, a day after Romney faced heat from his opponents in a debate for running critical ads and shifting his positions on several issues such as abortion, gun control, and gay rights. The debate overshadowed his victory Saturday in the scarcely contested Wyoming caucuses.

Said Romney on Sunday: ''I'm planning on winning in New Hampshire.'' But he added, ''It may not happen,'' reflecting new polls.

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who took first place in Thursday's Iowa caucuses but trails in New Hampshire, downplayed his own prospects but said, ''We're going to do better than expected.''

Wide open and intense, the race for the Republican nomination has gotten ever tighter. A pair of fresh polls showed McCain, a senator from Arizona, slightly ahead of Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, two days before New Hampshire votes. Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, staking his hopes on later states, is trying to hold off Huckabee for third.

Tuesday's primary could also be pivotal for the Democrats. Obama, a first-term senator from Illinois, is hoping to sustain momentum from his caucus victory in Iowa, and Clinton, a senator from New York and a former first lady, is looking to recover from her stinging third-place finish.

A new USA Today-Gallup poll showed Obama opening up a lead at 41%, Clinton 28%, and John Edwards 19%. The New Hampshire poll was taken Friday through Sunday.

Edwards, who barely beat Clinton for second place in Iowa, was joined Sunday by three families who suffered medical tragedies as he made an emotional case against insurance companies. Picking up on a theme from the debates, Edwards told reporters that he and Obama offer real change to voters while Clinton represents ''the status quo.''

He also argued he has more passion for change and would be more willing than Obama to fight for his goals. ''He just believes you can negotiate with people,'' Edwards said of his rival.

Asked Sunday about an alliance with Obama, Edwards said, ''I think there is a conviction alliance.'' Then he added, ''First of all, I wouldn't go so far as to call it an alliance. Let me disagree with that.''

The stakes are also huge for both McCain and Romney.

Romney, who pinned his presidential bid on using momentum from big wins in Iowa and New Hampshire, needs a victory to prove his candidacy is not crippled after an Iowa drubbing. McCain has put all his chips on a New Hampshire victory that would repeat his success here eight years ago.

The acrimony of Saturday night spilled over into Sunday morning as the top candidates made the rounds of TV news shows before heading out for campaign stops in snowy New Hampshire.

For Romney, the day served as a final push to turn voters away from McCain, calling his rival wrong on taxes and immigration.

In Nashua before a crowd of 300, Romney pounded McCain for saying yet again Sunday that he was right to vote against a set of Bush administration tax cuts. ''He's simply wrong. Now he's consistent, but he's wrong, and I'll take being right over being consistent every day of the week,'' Romney said.

McCain, for his part, tried to walk a careful line.

He did not mention his opponent during a question-and-answer session at a Salem school, and he mostly resisted engaging in a back-and-forth with Romney when pressed by reporters. He did, however, repeat a claim against Romney that has almost become a standard part of his pitch: ''He has changed his position on almost every major issue,'' McCain said.

Projecting confidence, McCain proclaimed in a TV interview, ''I will win.'' Underscoring how much is at stake in New Hampshire, he added that victory is ''vital'' to his candidacy.

Huckabee spoke of ''a brotherhood'' of sorts with McCain, fueled by Romney's criticism. ''We have both been brutally assaulted by Governor Romney with amazingly misleading ads that attacked and distorted and misrepresented our records,'' Huckabee said.

At the same time, Huckabee said he won Iowa ''because people believed that there was a need for somebody who had clarity in his positions. And I've stuck by those positions.''

Obama, who is bidding to become the first black president, sounded an upbeat tone throughout his campaign stops Sunday, telling New Hampshire crowds their votes could propel him to the Democratic nomination. ''You will have the chance to change America in two days' time,'' he said.

Clinton, who is trying to be the first woman president, went door-to-door in Manchester with her daughter, Chelsea, for about an hour seeking votes. After leaving one house, Clinton was asked by a TV reporter how she felt about the Democratic debate the night before.

''Really good,'' the senator said. ''We're starting to draw a contrast for New Hampshire voters between talkers and doers.'' (AP)