Obama: Clinton Engages In Double-Talk

Democrat Barack Obama resumed his criticisms of rival Hillary Rodham Clinton's candor and trustworthiness Wednesday, saying she has indulged in double-talk on bankruptcy laws, trade and other issues.

Politicians "don't always say what they mean, or mean what they say," the Illinois senator told about 900 people at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C. "That is what this debate in this party is all about."

Extending a theme he has stressed in recent days, Obama mocked the New York senator for saying she voted for a 2001 bankruptcy bill but was happy that it did not become law.

"Senator Clinton said, 'Well, I voted for it, but I hoped the bill would die,'" he said, drawing hoots from the crowd.

In a similar vein, Obama said Clinton originally praised the North American Free Trade Agreement which was enacted during her husband's presidency but now criticizes aspects of it.

"You can't always tell what Senator Clinton's position on trade has been," he said. Obama promised to provide "the kind of straight talk and clear thinking we need in this campaign."

Obama and Clinton clashed bitterly over questions of truthfulness and consistency in a televised debate on Monday, giving the campaign a personal edge it largely lacked before. Obama told the Winthrop crowd that such exchanges are healthy in a democracy.

He said American cannot afford a contest "where people are not certain about where they stand and where they want to lead the country."

Obama sees South Carolina's Saturday primary as a must-win race, and he continued to spend all his time in the state even though Clinton has visited states this other states this week. He campaigned later Wednesday in Sumter and Dillon, S.C.

Clinton's campaign has struck back on the honesty issue. It provided TV outlets with video of Obama saying recently that he opposes a single-payer health care system, and a 2003 clip in which he appeared to endorse such a plan.

Obama told NBC's "Today" show Wednesday, "a single-payer system is one that I would support if we were starting from scratch."

On Tuesday, Clinton argued Obama's frustration with losing prompted him to look for a fight in their latest debate. Obama said his rival and her husband, former President Clinton, were distorting his record.

"I think it's very clear that Senator Clinton ... and the president have been spending the last month attacking me in ways that are not accurate," Obama told reporters in a conference call shortly after she lashed out at him in a bitter exchange that carried over from Monday night's debate.

Speaking to reporters in Washington, Hillary Clinton belittled Obama's line of debate criticism against her as "rehearsed points."

"I think what we saw last night was that he's very frustrated," she said. "I believe that the events of the last 10 or so days, the outcome of New Hampshire and Nevada, have apparently convinced him to adopt a different strategy."

Former President Clinton said Tuesday he enjoyed the bickering.

"I know you think it's crazy, but I kind of like to see Barack and Hillary fight," Bill Clinton told a mostly white crowd of about 300 at a black church in Greenville, S.C. "They're flesh and blood people and they have their differences - let them have it."

Asked whether he thought his legacy among blacks would be harmed by challenging Obama, Clinton said he wasn't standing in Obama's way but rather advocating for his wife.

"I think it would be just as much a change, some people think more, to have the first woman president than to have the first African-American president," Bill Clinton said.

Obama says he, not the Clintons, are the ones who have been rattled by the back-and-forth, CBS News correspondent Dean Reynolds reports.

"The other side must be rattled if they're continually saying false things about us, right?" Obama said backstage at a campaign event Tuesday.

In the debate in Myrtle Beach, S.C., the two leading Democrats argued bitterly and in personal terms over issues such as Iraq and Bill Clinton's role in the campaign.

"He clearly came last night looking for a fight. He was determined and launched right in," Hillary Clinton said. "And I thought it was important to set the record straight."

She restated her argument that Obama was unwilling to answer hard questions about his record, including his opposition to the Iraq war, his support for military budgets and his "present" votes as a member of the Illinois Legislature.

Obama countered that this was all part of Clinton's strategy.

"Senator Clinton announced while we were still in Iowa that this was going to be her strategy and called it the fun part of campaigning. And, you know, I don't think it's the fun part to fudge the truth," he said. "The necessary part of this campaign is to make sure that we're getting accurate information to voters about people's respective records."

The bickering brought new calls for calm from former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, running third among Democratic contenders. "There was a lot of squabbling," Edwards told reporters in a conference call Tuesday. "While Senator Clinton and Senator Obama were hurling charges and countercharges at each other, I was thinking, 'I'm John Edwards and I represent the grown-up wing of the Democratic Party.'"

The New York senator defended her husband's aggressive criticism of Obama. She said it did not contradict the former president's role as senior statesman and party leader.

"I can tell you that never crossed our minds. That's not how we think," she said. "It has absolutely nothing to do with a unified Democratic Party around a nominee and a full support for whoever our Democratic president will be. That is just the way it works."

The Obama campaign began a "truth squad" in South Carolina to respond to negative criticism. Involved in the effort was former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota.

People in South Carolina "don't want to see this backbiting, bitter give-and-take that we're beginning to see more and more of, especially from the Clinton campaign. It's wrong. everybody knows it's wrong and it's got to stop," Daschle told reporters on a conference call. "Ultimately, it's going to divide us. And it's going to have a huge effect, a lasting effect if it doesn't stop soon."

Asked about Bill Clinton's actions, Daschle said, "It's not presidential. It's not in keeping with the image of a former president."