Obama opens fire on Clinton

By Rich Bowden, M&C Staff Writer Jan 31, 2008, 10:33 GMT

Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama (R) speaks as Caroline Kennedy (L) listens after she introduced him to the crowd at the University of Denver in Denver, Colorado, USA, 30 January 2008. John Edwards, a former North Carolina senator, dropped out of the presidential race earlier in the day, leaving Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to battle it out in the Democratic contest. EPA/RICK GIASE

(M&C) - With third place getter John Edwards withdrawing from the race for the Democratic nomination, Barack Obama has likened the choice between him and Sen. Clinton to being that of between the future and the past.

Speaking before a 10,000-strong crowd at the University of Denver he said Republicans will sharpen their attacks against Mrs Clinton's role during her husband's presidency.

"When I am the nominee, the Republicans won't be able to make this election about the past," Sen. Obama said. "That's what the Republicans are going to want to do. They are going to want us to look backwards, but they won't be able to do that with me. Because you will have already chosen the future."

The junior Illinois senator thanked the number of Democratic candidates who have now all but disappeared from the race. However, without mentioning the New York Senator by name, he said the Democratic party now needed to elect a unifying candidate.

He said they could win: "not by nominating a candidate who will unite the other party against us, but by choosing one who can unite this country around a movement for change."

However Mark Penn, strategist for the Clinton campaign described Sen. Obama's speech as "negative".

"His words in that speech were a summary of all the negative attacks, almost a 'greatest hits' of negative attacks he has launched throughout this campaign," he said to reporters. "They are false. They are personal. They are unwarranted."