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Democrats Ramp Up Rhetoric

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By JIM KUHNHENN, The Associated Press

Published: January 7, 2008

MANCHESTER, N.H. - The leading Democratic presidential candidates clashed Sunday over each other's claim to be the true candidate of change in the final hours of the slushy New Hampshire homestretch.

Clinton told voters they should elect "a doer, not a talker." Obama countered that his rivals are stuck in the politics of the past.

At a raucous rally in a high school gymnasium in Nashua, Clinton skewered Obama for several votes he cast in the Senate, such as his vote in favor of the Patriot Act and for energy legislation she described as "Dick Cheney's energy bill." She never mentioned Obama's name but left no doubt about whom she was discussing.

Obama, speaking at a packed Manchester theater, took issue with Clinton's criticism of him during Saturday's Democratic presidential debate.

"One of my opponents said we can't just, you know, offer the American people false hopes about what we can get done," he said.

"The real gamble in this election is to do the same things, with the same folks, playing the same games over and over and over again and somehow expect a different result," he said. "That is a gamble we cannot afford, that is a risk we cannot take. Not this time. Not now. It is time to turn the page."

The rhetoric reflected the potentially pivotal nature of Tuesday's primary. Obama, the freshman Illinois senator, is hoping to sustain momentum from his caucus victory in Iowa, and Clinton is looking to recover from her stinging third-place finish.

A CNN/WMUR poll released Sunday gave Obama a small lead over Clinton, with John Edwards trailing.

One of the sharpest exchanges of the day came when Edwards and the Clinton campaign traded words over Edwards' reference to last month's death of a 17-year-old girl, Nataline Sarkisyan of California, in making his case for challenging the health insurance industry.

Edwards, speaking to reporters in Keene, said Clinton and her advisers "have no conscience" after a Clinton aide suggested Edwards was using medical victims "as talking points" in his presidential bid. Edwards campaigned with Sarkisyan family members Sunday.

Sunday's campaign tone picked up from Saturday's debate, when Obama and Edwards seemed to work in tandem to deny Clinton's claim that she is the best prepared to undertake change.

Edwards told reporters 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 to fight for his goals than Obama.

Obama aides found themselves on the defensive after Clinton said during Saturday's debate that Obama's New Hampshire campaign co-chairman, Jim Demers, is a lobbyist whose clients include pharmaceutical companies.

Obama communications director Robert Gibbs said Demers is a state lobbyist and does not do business involving federal legislation or regulation. He said the campaign has drawn a distinction between lobbyists who are registered to work at the state level and those who lobby the federal government.

Obama sounded an upbeat tone throughout the day, telling New Hampshire crowds their votes could propel him to the Democratic nomination.

Meanwhile, the former first lady was clearly elated to be greeted by a large, enthusiastic audience in the same Nashua high school that Obama filled the day before. Both candidates had to use a second gym for the overflow crowd.

Earlier Sunday, Clinton and daughter Chelsea braved slushy sidewalks to go door to door in Manchester for about an hour seeking votes.

Husband Bill was campaigning in North Conway, N.H., sticking to the key word "change."

"There's a different between talk and action. It makes a big difference if you've actually changed people's lives, if it's the work of your life," the former president said.

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