Clinton, Obama set for battle in five states

United States: Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are campaigning across the United States as five states vote in the first primaries…

United States:Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are campaigning across the United States as five states vote in the first primaries and caucuses since Super Tuesday left the two candidates virtually tied.

Democrats vote in Louisiana, Nebraska and Washington state today and in Maine tomorrow and Republicans go to the polls today in Kansas, Louisiana and Washington state. The Democrats are also competing for three delegates from the Virgin Islands.

Although John McCain is virtually certain to win the Republican nomination, he insisted yesterday that the race was still on as long as Mike Huckabee remains a candidate.

"I also know Governor Huckabee is still in this race and is a viable candidate who will continue to show strength, that's why we're moving forward with our campaigning. I think that obviously we are pleased with the events that have happened as part of the campaign but we still have a ways to go and we will continue campaigning," he said.

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Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia vote next Tuesday in the biggest contests before March 4th, when Ohio and Texas hold primaries.

Campaigning in Seattle, Mrs Clinton suggested that Mr Obama's rhetoric about uniting the country would do little to help solve the problems faced by Americans. "I am hoping to unify the country but to unify it to do the work of the country. Not to unify it just for the sake of saying we are unified. In the meantime, more and more people lose health care. More and more kids can't afford college. We need to be unified with a common purpose," she said.

Mrs Clinton has challenged Mr Obama to weekly debates between now and March 4th but he has agreed to only two, the first of which will not be held until the end of this month. Both of Washington's senators are supporting Mrs Clinton but Mr Obama yesterday won the endorsement of Governor Chris Gregoire.

Former president Bill Clinton said yesterday that he had learned a valuable lesson from the controversy sparked by remarks he made about Mr Obama in New Hampshire and South Carolina.

"I think the mistake that I made is to think that I was a spouse like any other spouse who could defend his candidate. I think I can promote Hillary but not defend her because I was president. I have to let her defend herself or have someone else defend her."

President Bush yesterday called on conservative activists to unite behind the party's nominee but he stopped short of endorsing Mr McCain by name.