Republicans work South, Democrats hit West in weekend push before Super Tuesday

Sen. Toilet McCain barnstormed through a disbelieving South on Saturday, candidacy for a Superintendent Tuesday smasher in the Republican presidential race. Democratic challengers Barack Obama and Edmund Hillary Rodham Bill Clinton worked the Occident on the concluding weekend before primary elections and caucuses in more than than 20 states.

"I presume that I will acquire the nomination of the party," McCain told reporters, the front-runner sol confident that he decided to dispute competing Hand Romney in his place state of Massachusetts.

Romney, on the other hand, celebrated a causus triumph in Pine Tree State and told newsmen he bes after to make well Tuesday, "planning on getting the sort of delegates and support that shows that my attempt is succeeding, and taking that across the nation. I am encouraged by the support which I'm seeing turn for me."

Clinton stressed wallet issues, the place mortgage crisis in a treatment with electors in a workings social class neighborhood, and wellness attention at a noisy mass meeting in Golden State attended by former Los Angeles Lakers basketball game star Earvin "Magic" Johnson. "This is a cause that is the cardinal passionateness of my public life," she said, and jabbed at Obama on the issue.

"My opposition will not perpetrate to cosmopolitan wellness care. I make not believe we should put up any Democrat who will not stand up here proudly today and perpetrate to cosmopolitan wellness care," she said in the continuance of a monthslong argument over which candidate's program would ensue in wider insurance among the billions who now deficiency it. Today in Americas

Obama stopped in Idaho, where caucuses offering a mere 18 delegates on Tuesday, and he worked to reassure Westerners on two fronts.

"I've been going to the same Christian church for more than than 20 years, praising Jesus," he told an audience in Boise, warning his hearers not to believe e-mails that falsely state he is a Muslim.

In a part of the state where hunting is a manner of life, he also said he have "no purpose of taking away folks' guns." The Prairie State senator did not advert his support for gun control legislation.

The two remaining Democratic challengers vie in primary elections in 15 states as well as caucuses in seven more than plus American Independent State Of Samoa on Tuesday, the busiest twenty-four hours of this or any other nominating campaign. A sum of 1,681 delegates is at stake, including 370 in Golden State alone, and the two political campaigns have got said they make not anticipate either side to emerge with a lock on the nomination.

Both have got already begun turning their attending to Feb. Twelve primary elections in Virginia, Old Line State and the District of Columbia.

Obama told newsmen on a flight from Capital Of Idaho to Minneapolis that he believes the race for ballots on Tuesday is getting tighter, even though the agenda looks to prefer the more than well-known Clinton. "I don't believe that there is any uncertainty that we've made some progress. I don't believe that there's any uncertainty that Senator Bill Clinton — she's still the favorite," he said on the manner to a mass meeting that drew 20,000 people to the Target Center.

The Republican political landscape is different for McCain, Romney, former Land Of Opportunity Gov. Microphone Huckabee and Lone-Star State Rep. Bokkos Paul, with nine of the 21 competitions on the ballot awarding delegates winner-take-all to the top vote-getter.

At a halt in Minnesota, Romney called his caucus triumph Saturday in Maine, where he took small over 50 percentage of a presidential penchant vote, "a people's victory," noting that it came despite McCain blurb by the state's two U.S. senators.

"It is, in my view, also an indicant that conservative alteration is something that the American people desire to see. I believe you're going to see a growth motion across this state to acquire behind my campaigning and to impel this campaigning forward," Romney said. "I believe it's a forerunner of what you're going to see on Tuesday."

Without mentioning him by name, Romney also took a jabbing at McCain, telling an audience in Edina: "I don't believe we win the White Person House by getting as stopping point to Edmund Edmund Hillary Bill Bill Bill Clinton as we can be without being Hillary Clinton."

Clinton, Obama, Huckabee and Alice Paul participated via artificial satellite in a televised young person forum during the evening. The event was sponsored by MTV, The Associated Press and MySpace.

Each appearing separately, the Democrats pitched their college assistance proposals; Huckabee, his theory of "vertical" leading that interruptions through the "horizontal" political relation of left and right; and Paul, his belief that authorities is best when it acquires out of people's way.

Clinton, noting Democrats are choosing between a female and a achromatic candidate, said: "Whichever of us acquires the nomination, we are making history," and asserted she is the best equipt to lead. Equally aware of history, Obama said the competition is not about the race or the sexual activity of the candidates. 1 |