Hillary Clinton launched a searing attack on surging rival Barack Obama, as polls showed yesterday he could inflict a second body blow to her White House hopes in the upcoming New Hampshire primary.
Clinton on Saturday used a tense face-to-face debate, three days before the next crucial test to argue her rival was inconsistent, inexperienced and more fond of words than action.
"He could have a pretty good debate with himself," a steely Clinton said, trying to pin the damaging "flip-flop" label on Obama on hot-button issues like healthcare, national security and Iraq.
Clinton came out swinging after a humiliating third place in Thursday's leadoff Iowa caucuses, which validated Obama's soaring message of hope, change and cleansing the poisoned politics of the US.
"You have changed positions within three years on a range of issues that you put forth when you ran for the Senate and have changed," she said. "You said that records matter."
She also argued his powerful rhetoric did not mean he would be effective in driving reform and said her quest to be the first woman president showed she was an agent of change.
"Words are not actions. And as beautifully presented and passionately felt as they are, they are not action," she said.
Obama, stature enhanced by his Iowa triumph, avoided serious gaffes, appeared unruffled by Clinton's attacks and smoothly deflected them with his own political message.
"What I think is important that we don't do is try to distort each other's records as election day approaches here in New Hampshire. What I think the people of America are looking for are people who are going to be straight about the issues," Obama said.
Newly published polls meanwhile showed the effect of Obama's Iowa momentum.
In a CNN/WMUR survey, one of the first since the Iowa caucuses, Obama and Clinton were locked up on 33 percent of likely primary voters. Obama was up four points from a similar poll late last month and Clinton was down one.
Another poll, by the Concord Monitor newspaper, had Obama with a slender one point lead over Clinton, 34 percent to 33 percent.
The Clinton campaign rejected the idea Obama was vaulting from victory in Iowa, to a win in New Hampshire tomorrow, saying his poll "bounce" was negligible.
In a rare moment of levity, Clinton was asked why people appeared to like Obama more.
"Well that hurts my feelings," Clinton said, sparking laughter from the audience.
"But I'll try to go on. He's very likable. I agree with that ... I don't think I'm that bad," said Clinton, showing the softer side of her campaign has tried to highlight to head off claims that she has a polarizing character.
Obama, adding bite to a sugary exchange, joked: "You're likeable enough, Hillary," before she went back on the attack.
"In 2000, we, unfortunately, ended up with a president who people said they wanted to have a beer with, who said he wanted to be a uniter, not a divider. I'm offering 35 years of experience making change," Clinton said.
The Republican debate was the more bruising.
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who won the Republican Iowa caucuses, had to defend his remark that US President George W. Bush's foreign policy had been arrogant.
Arizona Senator John McCain, who tied for third in Iowa but leads the polls in New Hampshire, said he was the one Republican consistently right on Iraq.
"I know how to lead, I have been involved in these issues and I know how to solve them," McCain said.
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney took countless attacks -- at one point he accused Huckabee of mischaracterizing his position and Huckabee shot back: "Which one?"
McCain accused Romney of distorting his views on illegal immigrants.
"My friend, you can spend your whole fortune on these attack ads. But it still won't be true," McCain said.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source