KEY POINTS:
LAREDO, Texas - Democrat Hillary Clinton on Thursday questioned rival Barack Obama's readiness to serve as commander in chief and his ability to win the White House as the two presidential contenders prepared for a crucial debate.
The Thursday night showdown in Austin, Texas, gives Clinton a chance to halt Obama's momentum and turn around a Democratic presidential fight that has shifted decisively in the Illinois senator's favor after his streak of 10 straight victories.
"I want you to think, 'Who do you want to have in the White House answering the phone at 3 o'clock in the morning when some crisis breaks out around the world?'" Clinton asked a heavily Hispanic crowd at a rally in downtown Laredo.
"'Who is best prepared to be commander in chief on day one?'" she added, pushing her latest line of attack on Obama in their hard-fought duel to be the Democratic candidate in November's presidential election.
In the Republican race, front-runner John McCain dismissed a New York Times report suggesting he had a close and possibly romantic relationship with a female lobbyist nine years ago who represented companies that did business with the Senate committee he led.
The newspaper reported his aides became concerned the potentially embarrassing conflict of interest could harm his ultimately failed presidential bid in 2000. The Arizona senator told reporters in Toledo, Ohio, the article was "not true."
"At no time have I ever done anything that would betray the public trust or make a decision which in any way would not be in the public interest and would favor any one or any organization," McCain said.
McCain has an almost insurmountable lead in the Republican race over his last major rival, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who has refused to give up until McCain has enough convention delegates to clinch the nomination.
Obama has taken control of the Democratic race after winning 10 consecutive contests by wide margins. Clinton needs to win March 4 contests in Ohio and Texas if she hopes to block Obama's march to the nomination.
Obama has a growing lead in pledged convention delegates who will choose the Democratic candidate at the August convention. The latest count by MSNBC gives Obama 1,168 to Clinton's 1,018.
Obama picked up more good news yesterday with word he had won the primary voting among Democrats who live abroad. Obama won about 66 percent of the vote and Clinton 33 percent.
Democrats in 164 countries participated in the primary, voting by Internet, mail and in person between February 5 and February 12, organizers said. Obama won 2.5 delegates and Clinton 2 delegates in the voting.
The debate will give Clinton a broad public stage to try to begin her comeback, and she has cranked up her recent attacks on Obama as she searches for a message that works.
"I want you to think, 'Who is best able to stand on a stage with Senator John McCain to make a case to elect a Democrat?'" Clinton told the crowd in Laredo in south Texas on the Mexican border, where she is counting on strong support from Hispanics.
The New York senator and former first lady said she had learned from her husband, former President Bill Clinton, how difficult the job could be. She also kept up her criticism of Obama's high-flying rhetoric as lacking in real-world substance.
"We need to have someone who is prepared with solutions to our problems, not just speeches," she said.
Obama has managed to gain an increasing share of Clinton's core voting blocs of blue-collar and low-income workers while cutting into her margins with Hispanics.
The two big states of Ohio and Texas, with a combined total of 334 delegates at stake on March 4, have plenty of both. Clinton strategists have targeted the two states as good environments for her economic message. Rhode Island and Vermont also will vote on March 4.
Obama, in Austin to prepare for the debate, visited the stadium and football facilities for the University of Texas Longhorns. The Texas football coach, Mack Brown, scolded a reporter who tried to ask Obama about McCain and lobbyists.
"Coach solved that one, didn't he?" Obama said.
