| Show I Clinton clash ahead of key primary Peter Nicholas Louise Los Angeles Times The Thc Democratic candidates for president spent Sunday making II hour th-hour appeals to Pennsylvania voters in anticipation of Tuesdays Tuesday's primary and renewing their attacks against each other Making what he called his closing argument Sen Barack described rival Sen Hillary Rodham Clinton as disingenuous for revising positions to suit the tastes of voters Clinton for her part suggested that and not she had been clouding the last days of campaigning with negativity and she then launched a series of attacks against the Illinois senator Pennsylvania's primary is Tuesday and a strong showing by victory or narrow defeat could put added pressure on Clinton to drop out of the race Polls show Clinton leading in Pennsylvania by about 5 percentage points called his Democratic rival a tenacious candidate Sunday but he said she was a product of a flawed political system she had no ability to change Her basic view about this election is that the say anything do a anything interest driven special interest politics in Washington is how its it's got to be said how the game is played And so you should elect her to be the nominee because she has been in Washington longer and she knows how to play the game better That's the argument spoke in a school high-school gymnasium here before an enthusiastic crowd of about 2600 people faulted Clinton for taking what he described as conflicting positions on the North American Free Trade Agreement She backed it when her husband was president said but distanced herself while c campaigning in states where the agreement is unpopular In a similar vein said she initially supported the Iraq war but changed her stance when it began to go sour He said what you cant can't do is isyou isyou isyou you cant can't spend a whole bunch of time campaigning on behalf of your husbands husband's proposal and then when youre you're running for president go around Pennsylvania saying youre you're opposed to You cant can't do that He added You cant can't say that youre you're for the war when its it's politically popular to be for the war and then when it becomes unpopular suddenly you say I didn't really vote for the war I 1 voted for diplomacy The point is if were we're going to bring about real change we have to tobe tobe tobe be honest with the American people about how that change comes about He took questions after his speech including one about former fonner President Carters Carter's recent meeting with Hamas leaders called the meeting a mistake Hamas is not a state and it has not denounced terrorism It has not recognized Israels Israel's right to exist It has not recognized previous agreements made between the Israelis and Palestinians Its very hard for us to broker a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians if a certain portion of your actors dont don't even recognize the people on the other side of the table as being able to stay there In a whirlwind charge across Pennsylvania on Sunday Clinton spoke to a crowd of about 1000 people packed into the Liberty High School gym in Bethlehem Pa This week we had a debate and it showed you the choice you have she said No wonder that my opponent has been so negative in these last days because I think you saw a big difference between us She said she offers leadership and experience and she repeated charges that says one thing but his campaign does another The New York senator made madea a couple quick jabs at President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney saying we just haven't had leadership in these past seven years before quickly returning to criticism of her Democratic rival that Its important to me this campaign not just be about abou speeches the cameras and the lights she said but about what we can be together She then talked of her plans for tax breaks support for small business and renewable energy investment But she again struck out against denigrating a recent j campaign ad in which he says i he doesn't take money from oil companies When I first saw that I thought no one takes money from oil its it's been for companies' companies illegal years she said She added that both candidates however take money from people who work for oil companies When Cheney presented his pro oil company bill Clinton said voted for it she I was raised by family to say what I mean and mean what I say Clinton said r fi 1 irl |
