PHILADELPHIA -- For weeks, the two Democratic presidential candidates have been courting Pennsylvania voters in a fight that has turned ugly more than once. Wednesday night they took it to a national stage with debate No. 21 in Philadelphia.
Both candidates spent most of their time clarifying campaign controversies. Hillary Clinton tried to explain previous statements that she encountered sniper fire in Bosnia when she didn't.
"I'm embarrassed by it. I've said it was a mistake. It didn't jive with what I had written about and knew to be the truth," Clinton said.
"For us to be obsessed with these kinds of errors is a mistake," said Sen. Barack Obama.
Obama tried to explain his comment at a San Francisco fundraiser that Pennsylvania voters may cling to guns or religion out of frustration with Washington's economic policies.
"The problem we have in our politics, which is fairly typical, is that you take one person's statement if it's not properly phrased and you just beat it to death, and that's what Sen. Clinton has been doing over the past four days," Obama said.
"I can see why people would be taken aback and offended by the remarks," Clinton said.
While the Democrats have been fighting their own bitter battle, presumptive Republican nominee John McCain answered criticism from Rep. John Murtha that he is too old to run for president.
"All I can say is that I admire and respect Jack Murtha. Speak for yourself, Jack. I'm doing fine," McCain said.
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