Ahead of debate, Clinton sharpens her attacks

Republican John McCain also campaigned in Ohio on Monday, and told reporters he must convince a war-weary country that U.S. policy in Iraq is succeeding to win the White House, or else "then I lose. I lose."

He then backed off that remark, saying merely that Iraq would be a part of voters' judgment of his ability to handle national security.

The five-year-old Iraq conflict is emerging as a fault line in the general election, with the Arizona senator calling for the U.S. military continuing its mission while his Democratic opponents urge quick withdrawal.

A coalition of anti-war groups that was influential in last year's political debate on Iraq says it plans to spend more than $20 million this year to convince voters that McCain and the Republican Party's support for the war is bad for the economy.

In a conference call with reporters Monday, activist leaders said they believe voters will blame Republicans this fall for supporting the war at a time of rising health care and college costs and a mortgage foreclosure crisis.

"Leaders who do not recognize this connection will be at a disadvantage come Election Day," said Jeff Blum, director of USAction, which plans to spend $10 million organizing a grass-roots effort against Republican candidates. Blum said the group intends to dispatch hundreds of thousands of volunteers to go door to door to convince voters that the Republicans' war effort is hurting the economy.

WASHINGTON - Hillary Rodham Clinton suggested Barack Obama was not prepared to handle a global crisis as she looked ahead to an MSNBC debate that offered one of her last chances to blunt her rival's momentum before next week's must-win primaries.

The two Democratic presidential contenders face off in a debate at Cleveland State University just a week before the March 4 primaries in Ohio and Texas that Clinton must win to keep alive her faltering bid to become the first U.S. female president.

MSNBC will telecast the debate from 9-10:30 p.m. ET.  NBC’s Brian Williams will moderate and be joined by "Meet the Press" moderator and NBC News Washington Bureau Chief Tim Russert. It will be streamed live on msnbc.com.