Clinton, Obama Run Up The Miles to Gain an Edge

Clinton and Obama nearly crossed paths in Missouri, a bellwether state expected to be highly contested with the Republicans in November. Both candidates made the case for their electability in appearances Sunday, each arguing that they would be better able to compete against Sen. John McCain, who appears poised to all but lock up the Republican nomination this week.

From here, Clinton went on to Minnesota and Obama to Delaware. On Monday, both will be campaigning in the Northeast, with Clinton returning to New York to host a national "town hall" meeting that will be seen on her Web site and the Hallmark Channel, and Obama closing the day at a rally in Boston with Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass).

Among the endorsements Obama received were two from prominent women -- Kate Michelman, the abortions rights activist, who had backed former senator John Edwards, and Maria Shriver, wife of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R). The Illinois senator has consistently trailed Clinton in support among women voters, who could play a crucial role in the California vote Tuesday.

Shriver, the niece of Edward Kennedy, made a surprise appearance at an Obama rally in Los Angeles, joining her cousin Caroline Kennedy and TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey, who made her first appearance on Obama's behalf since before the New Hampshire primary.

His campaign also aired ads during the Super Bowl -- an expensive exercise -- in a broad swath of Super Tuesday states.

Democratic strategists now believe that the primaries Tuesday in 22 states will not resolve the nomination fight and are bracing for an extended race that could last well into March or beyond.

One Clinton adviser, granted anonymity in order to speak candidly about the contest, said the campaign is now anticipating it will not be able to reclaim its front-runner status on Tuesday night. Even California, once believed to be firmly in the Clinton column, has now tightened, the adviser said, but Clinton still hopes to carry it. A Field Poll released Sunday showed Clinton and Obama in a statistical tie in the state.

"It is likely that people are going to wake up Wednesday morning still scratching their heads, saying, 'We don't know who is the front-runner on the Democratic side,' " the Clinton adviser said.

Clinton faced a question about electability during a question-and-answer session in a union hall in St. Louis, where a supporter asked what she would do to ensure that Democrats don't "shoot ourselves in our own foot this time."

"This is going to be open season once again, and we need to nominate somebody with the experience and the fortitude and know-how to take what they send our way and send it right back," Clinton replied.

In that same vein, in a memo titled "new information," chief Clinton strategist Mark Penn pointed to three recent news stories that he said suggested Obama has not been fully vetted. Penn wrote that the stories -- about Obama's records on the nuclear power industry, plant closings and gun ownership -- illustrated that voters have "very limited information" about Obama even as millions of people in nearly two dozen states prepare to head to the polls.