Clinton questions Obama's honesty in testy debate

CLEVELAND — New York Sen. Hillary Clinton came out swinging against rival Illinois Sen. Barack Obama on Tuesday night, challenging his honesty in a testy debate that offered her one last chance to slow his momentum before make-or-break Democratic presidential primary contests next week.

Clinton accused Obama of spreading "false, misleading and discredited" information about her plan for health-care reform. She said his claims about her stands on trade were "disturbing" and wrong.

He responded in kind, saying his charges were accurate while insisting that he has suffered silently through a long negative barrage from her. "We haven't whined about it because I understand that's the nature of these campaigns," he said.

Earlier in the day, results of a Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times survey showed Obama has surged ahead of Clinton, though he would face a tough general election against Republican John McCain, who enjoys a huge advantage on national-security issues.

The survey showed Obama is preferred by Democratic primary voters 48 percent to 42 percent, the first time he has overtaken Clinton in a Bloomberg/Times poll. In a general-election matchup among registered voters, McCain is 2 points ahead of Obama, within the margin of error; he beats Clinton by 6 points.

McCain runs ahead of Obama on every issue except health care. The Arizona senator has a 13-point advantage on Iraq and a 37-point lead on terrorism. He also does better on managing the economy. One area where Obama has a clear edge is on the question of who would bring the most change in Washington; the Illinois senator has an almost 3-to-1 lead.

"Obama has moved decisively ahead of Clinton, but as a general-election candidate he has a tougher road to travel in a campaign against John McCain," says Susan Pinkus, the Los Angeles Times polling director. McCain is seen as having the right experience and is "the person people think could be the strongest leader."

Clinton would face a tougher road than Obama as her party's nominee, with almost a third of voters saying the nation isn't ready to elect a female president. That compares with just 20 percent who say the country isn't ready to elect an African-American.

At the same time, Clinton leads McCain on the issues where the Republican has an advantage over Obama, including the economy and illegal immigration, and she beats McCain by a wider margin than Obama on health care.