Hillary Rodham
Clinton said Friday she must respond in kind to criticism
from rival Barack Obama even though she'd rather keep the
race for the Democratic presidential nomination
focused on their differences on public policy issues.
''I try not to
attack first, but I have to defend myself -- I do have to
counterpunch,'' Clinton told NBC's Today Show.
''I took a lot of
incoming fire for many, many months, and I was happy to
absorb it because obviously, you know, I felt that was part
of my responsibility. But toward the end of a campaign
you have to set the record straight,'' the New York
senator said.
Clinton, Obama,
and their campaigns have exchanged increasingly
hard-hitting jabs in recent days over race, his relationship
with a Chicago developer, her vote on the Iraq war,
and other issues. Clinton pulled a South Carolina
radio ad critical of Obama on Thursday and Obama took
down his radio response in an attempt to cool the angry
public spat.
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Democrat Barack
Obama is walking a tricky racial line in South Carolina,
openly appealing to black voters while striving not to be
tagged as ''the black candidate.'' His success or
failure will help decide his party's presidential
nomination -- and could strongly influence the fall general
election if he prevails over Clinton.
African-Americans
make up a large portion of the Democratic
electorate in Deep South states, and they could help Obama
win a handful of primaries, including Saturday's in
South Carolina. But the more Obama is seen through a
racial lens, the more it might hamper him in other
states, especially those where voters are unaccustomed or
unwilling to support black candidates.
Obama's aides
acknowledge the dilemma, saying it is inevitable for the
first viable black presidential contender. They hope he can
benefit from black voters' enthusiasm while also
highlighting the many votes he has drawn in states
such as Iowa, where he won the January 3 Democratic
caucus. (AP)
