Texas-Sized Showdown for Clinton, Obama

March 1, 2008 — -- Sen. Hillary Clinton has staked her presidential campaign on Texas and Ohio -- and this weekend, with only three days to go before the Democratic primaries in those states, she is battling Sen. Barack Obama and his streak of 11 consecutive wins with everything she has.

In a season of important contests, Tuesday's are now seen as the ones that could prove decisive. Polls show Clinton ahead in Ohio, while Texas is a virtual dead heat.

With the Democratic campaign possibly hinging on the two battleground states, the candidates are locked in a down-to-the-wire weekend of marathon travel, stump speeches and attacks and counterattacks.

Clinton has focused her efforts on emphasizing national security and at the same time questioning Obama's credentials.

"His entire campaign is based on a speech he gave at an antiwar rally in 2002 -- a lot of talk, little action. Or as they say in Texas, all hat, no cattle," she said today aboard her campaign plane.

Before heading to Ohio today, Obama was in Providence, R.I., questioning Clinton's words.

"We need leaders in Washington who say what they mean and mean what they say," Obama said. "I don't want to just tell everyone what they want to hear, I'll tell people what they need to know."

With four states holding primaries on Tuesday, the Obama campaign believes any delegates Clinton may win -- even if she narrowly beats him in Ohio -- could be offset by huge Obama wins in Rhode Island or Vermont.

Bill Clinton Questions NAFTA

Today in Ohio, Clinton deployed her husband on the stump, and the former president, who passed the North America Free Trade Agreement, is now pledging that his wife will fix it.

"She proposes to substantially overhaul NAFTA," President Clinton said.

Meanwhile, the Obama campaign sent out thousands of volunteers who plan to knock on one million doors by Tuesday.

"I think his momentum from the other states is going to carry right through to Ohio," said one volunteer.

Dueling ad campaigns hit the Web this week.

One Clinton ad posted on YouTube, created independently of the Clinton campaign, showed actor Jack Nicholson in his various movie roles saying sound bites that match Clinton's proposals and plans.

"There is nothing sexier than a woman you have to salute," Nicholson said in his "A Few Good Men" role. And then, as himself, he added, "I'm Jack Nicholson, and I approved this message."

Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas has released a new tribute to Obama on the Internet.

Taking on Texas

In Texas today, Clinton addressed a group of voters that could deliver crucial delegates.

"I've always believe that Texans had a real sense of what it took to have a president," she said in Ft. Worth today.

Texas has 17 media markets, 12 million registered voters and a population that's economically and ethnically diverse. The candidates realize how pivotal Tuesday's outcome could be. Obama has 20 offices statewide, and Clinton has 22. Each campaign boasts about 100,000 volunteers across the state.

Some of the state's biggest names are getting involved.

"This is gonna be one hell of a primary, so I think everybody better hang on tight spur hard and let her buck," said singer and novelist Kinky Friedman, who ran his own independent bid for the Texas governership in 2006.

The daughter of the state's outspoken late Gov. Ann Richards made a Web video wishing her mother were still alive to fight for Clinton.

"After all, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did -- she just did it backwards and high heels," the former governor is seen saying on the video.

The push for the state's female and Latin voters is critical for Clinton, but it may not be enough, as Obama also has been courting Hispanic voters.

"Barack Obama's going to have made inroads with Latinos," said ABC News political contributor Matthew Dowd. "And his huge support among African Americans is going to be more than enough to compensate for her support among Latinos."

And Texas is complicated. The delegates are awarded based upon who showed up during the last election, and African Americans showed up in larger numbers than Latinos. And part of the voting is determined by caucusing -- a format that has favored Obama so far.

Texans cannot escape the race. It is all over the airwaves. Obama and his allies -- unions and outside groups -- are outspending Clinton by about two to one on television.