原文：http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/05/hillaryclinton.barackobama1
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are preparing for a long and potentially brutal struggle for the Democratic nomination, with both campaign teams hinting darkly about descending into even more negative tactics as the race progresses.
Clinton's campaign attribute her wins in the primaries in Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island last night to her aggressive tactics over the last week that forced Obama onto the defensive.
The Obama team today threatened to retaliate by exploring skeletons in Bill and Hillary's past, and to demand disclosure of her tax returns. She has been reluctant to release the latter, possibly afraid to let voters see the extent of her personal fortune.
She failed to make a significant dent in Obama's commanding lead in the race for the Democratic nomination in spite of her three stunning victories yesterday.
With counts almost completed, her haul from the victories in Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island proved to be meagre, awarding her only 12 more delegates than her rival.
Obama, during a round of television interviews this morning, claimed his lead in delegates was too big for her to catch up.
"We still have an insurmountable lead. We're very confident about where we're going to be and that we can win the nomination and the general election," he said.
Although the arithmetic is against her, her wins provide her with momentum going into the next phase of the race, the struggle for the Pennsylvania primary, the mega-state that holds its contest on April 22.
The long time lag allows Clinton to attack Obama with even more intensity than she displayed over the last week and which exit polls suggest swayed last-minute votes.
Her team concentrated on his links with Anton 'Tony" Rezko, the Chicago property developer on trial for alleged corruption, aired a scare ad suggesting he is weak on national security and suggested he was lying about his policy on jobs and international trade.
The risk of such intensive in-fighting is that it could benefit John McCain, who last night won the Republican nomination, leaving him free to concentrate on preparing for the November general election.
The Clinton camp signalled it will keep up the aggressive tactics. She is to hold an event today aimed at highlighting what she claims is his lack of national security experience.
The contest is unlikely to be decided in Pennsylvania and could now continue all the way to Denver.
The prospect of such a prolonged campaign is alarming many in the Democratic party, who fear that such intensive in-fighting will help the Republicans, and are advocating a truce.
One compromise would be for Clinton and Obama to join forces, running on the same ticket.
While Clinton won the Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island primaries, Obama won Vermont and also regained lost ground in the Texas caucuses, held immediately after the state's primary.
With 12 delegates still to be awarded from the 370 at stake, the breakdown was 185 for Clinton and 173 for Obama.
Obama has 1,562 delegates, including the super-delegates, members of Congress and other senior party members who have an automatic vote at the conference, and Clinton 1,461. It takes 2,025 delegates to secure the Democratic nomination.
He is expected to extend his lead by winning the Wyoming caucuses on Saturday and the Mississippi primary on Tuesday.
Asked on CBS whether she and Obama should be running mates, as presidential and vice-presidential candidates, she said: "That may be where this is headed, but of course we have to decide who is on the top of ticket. I think the people of Ohio very clearly said that it should be me."
But the relations between the two sides are poor and neither side is prepared to accept the consolation prize of vice-presidential candidate.
David Axelrod, Obama's communications chief, indicated today he expected the race would continue to be rough. "If Sen. Clinton wants to take the debate to various places, we'll join that debate," Axelrod said.
"We'll do it on our terms and in our own way but if she wants to make issues like ethics and disclosure and law firms and real estate deals and all that stuff issues, as I've said before I don't know why they'd want to go there, but I guess that's where they'll take the race."
Even if Clinton was to win Pennsylvania, it would not be enough to close the gap. Her team is suggesting for the first time that primaries should be re-run in Florida and Michigan, both of which held contests in January but were disqualified from sending delegates because they breached party rules.
Clinton won both contests, partly because Obama did not participate.
Terry McAuliffe, the Clinton campaign's national chairman, repeated a by now familiar argument that it would be unfair to bar delegates from two large states from playing a role in determining the Democratic nominee.
But for the first time the Clinton camp appeared to be open to the idea of what McAuliffe called "do-overs" in the two states.
"We're all for a primary in both states because we cannot go into a general election and say those votes didn't count," he told reporters last night. "But do-overs cost millions of dollars. It's up to those states."
译文：（来自译言）
昨晚，希拉里·克林顿在德克萨斯和俄亥俄两州取得大胜。今早她暗示，有可能与巴拉克·奥巴马结为竞选伙伴－－当然她将是总统候选人。
当CBS早间节目主持人问及，她是否可能与奥巴马共同出现在总统大选的选票上时，克林顿回答道："也许吧。当然我们还是要决定谁是总统，谁是副总统。我相信俄亥俄州人民已经很清楚地表示，那个人应当是我。"
随着希拉里·克林顿迎头赶上，拿下这两个有较多代表席位的大州，奥巴马的连胜记录终于告一段落。而这场民主党总统候选人的角逐也因此愈演愈烈。
希拉里的胜利还意味着民主党内的角逐将拉长战线，会一直延续到八月在丹佛举行的党代会。此前，奥巴马已经连续赢得了11个州的选战。
此外，克林顿还拿下了另一个新英格兰地区的小州－－罗德岛。这样，她在昨天以四比三胜出。奥巴马只得了安慰奖－－另一个新英格兰小州佛蒙特的获胜。
在这四州的初选中，总共有370个代表席位，其中得克萨斯州193席，俄亥俄州141席。奥巴马净赢得91席，而克林顿则赢得115席。候选人需获得2025席以上，才能最终赢得民主党的总统提名。
通过在国家安全、经济政策以及与涉嫌腐败而受审的安托恩·托尼·瑞兹的关系等问题上猛烈抨击奥巴马，希拉里上周的竞选策略收效明显。
希拉里团队还就奥巴马的诚实问题大做文章。一份泄密的备忘录指出，奥巴马在北美自由贸易协定问题上耍双面派。该协议被很多人认为造成了俄亥俄州的失业问题。
克林顿今天表示，她的胜利将有助于赢得超级代表－－那些将在八月党代会上投票的政府官员和党内人士。如果初选的最终结果仍不相上下，这些超级代表将决定谁才是最后的总统候选人。
"很多人都会从昨天的初选结果中判别谁才是最有能力成为总统的候选人。" 她告诉CNN说，"能说会道和实干是有区别的。"
早些时候，克林顿几乎要一败涂地，奥巴马的支持者甚至要求她主动退出竞选。但是如今，她卷土重来，而且其战绩比一月份在新罕布什尔州意外的胜利更令人吃惊。
她轻松地赢得了俄亥俄。但得克萨斯州的竞争则相当激烈。在已清点的98%选票中，克林顿只以51%对47%小胜奥巴马。
在美国早间电视新闻中，奥巴马大度地祝贺对手昨天的胜利。但他同时坚称，"她很难在代表席位数上赶上我。"
"我们将名至实归获得最终的胜利。"奥巴马这样告诉ABC《早安美国》节目主持人黛安·索耶。
他说，他不认为克林顿的"凌晨三时"电视广告使竞选局势发生了变化。在广告中，克林顿说她才是最有能力在白宫处理紧急情况的人。奥巴马认为选前民调已显示克林顿在俄亥俄和得克萨斯两州有相当大的优势，而投票结果表明，这种差距已经缩小。
"克林顿参议员很坚韧，而且正步步紧逼，所以我们必须在每个州的初选都下大力气。"他这样说道。在得克萨斯州圣安东尼奥市的演讲中，奥巴马向克林顿表示了祝贺。但同时也提醒对手，尽管她取得了昨天的胜利，他仍然保持着代表席位总数的优势。"我们必将赢得最终的总统提名。"
在罗得岛，克林顿至少获得了5个代表席位。在佛蒙特，奥巴马则至少获得8席。
虽然克林顿在俄亥俄和得克萨斯获胜，但代表席位却将按票数比例划分。因此，奥巴马也将从这两州获得相当多的代表席位。
下一场选战将是周六的怀俄明州党团会议（caucus），而之后将是下周二的密西西比初选（primary）。预计奥巴马在这两个州都有优势，这两个州共有45个代表席位。
克林顿团队的高级成员沃尔夫森和辛格昨天表示，基于上述两州的选民结构，奥巴马获胜将是必然的。但他们相信克林顿将在下一个也是最后一个重头戏－－宾夕法尼亚州4月22日的初选中获胜。
届时两位候选人将为该州的158个代表席位展开激烈争夺。
克林顿的支持者，宾夕法尼亚州州长艾德·兰德尔认为该州对经济和国家安全问题的关注有助于克林顿获胜。
"对这两个问题的关注，使得宾州的选民充分认识到我们必须选择一位已经真正准备好担当总统和军队最高统帅的人。"克林顿竞选团队的一份新闻稿这样引用兰德尔的话，"宾州人民会明确表示：我们需要的是一位已经准备好了的总统，而不是一位也许有一天才能准备好的总统。"
俄亥俄和得克萨斯州的胜利还让克林顿保持了在大州获胜的记录。此前她已经赢得了纽约州、加利福尼亚和新泽西。而奥巴马则在大部分小州中获胜。
在获胜演讲中，克林顿提到了竞选广告"凌晨三时"，称这个广告是她在上周紧追奥巴马时采用的最成功的策略之一。
广告画面中是沉睡的孩子，进而给选民提出这样一个问题：如果凌晨三点发生紧急情况，他们会希望谁在白宫处理危机呢？潜台词是奥巴马缺乏经验。
在俄亥俄州已清点的99%选票中，克林顿获54%，奥巴马获44%。在罗得岛州已清点的98%选票中，克林顿获58%，奥巴马获40%。在佛蒙特州已清点的86%选票中，克林顿获38%，奥巴马获60%。
得克萨斯州的投票过程比较复杂。三分之二的代表席位由初选（primary）选民投票决定。而剩余的三分之一则由初选之后立刻召开的党团会议（Caucus）决定。
在之前各州的投票中，由于奥巴马竞选团队对草根组织的影响，奥巴马在党团会议中的战绩优于克林顿。在得克萨斯州党团会议36%已清点的选票中，奥巴马以52%对48%领先。
共和党方面，麦凯恩在俄亥俄、得克萨斯、佛蒙特和罗得岛均取得完胜之后，正式赢得该党的总统候选人提名。他获得的1199个投票代表席位已超过了成为总统候选人所需的1191席。
麦克·哈克比昨晚致电麦凯恩，表示将退出竞选。布什总统预计今天将在白宫正式确立麦凯恩的共和党候选人地位。
当克林顿和奥巴马仍在为民主党候选人较力时，麦凯恩却已经可以放开手脚为11月的大选做准备了。
在得克萨斯州已清点的74%共和党选票中，麦凯恩获52%，浸信会牧师哈克比仅得37%。哈克比原本期待得克萨斯州会如同其他南部各州那样为他带来胜利。
在俄亥俄州已清点的80%选票中，麦凯恩获59%，哈克比获31%。 在罗得岛州已清点的97%选票中，麦凯恩获65%，哈克比获22%。 在佛蒙特州已清点的85%选票中，麦凯恩获72%，哈克比获14%。
赢得民主党总统候选人资格，需要在8月的丹佛党代会上获得2025个席位。目前还有十个州未进行初选，600个投票代表席位尚不知鹿死谁手。
投票结束后的民调显示，经济是大多数选民最关注的问题。在已经进入经济衰退的俄亥俄州，关心这一问题的比例是61%，而得克萨斯州则为48%。
得克萨斯州的民调进一步显示，克林顿获得了拉美裔选民的压倒性支持。拉美裔选民占得克萨斯选民比例的三分之一，克林顿获得了其中64%的选票。来自俄亥俄州的数据则表明，克林顿保住了她的核心支持群体：妇女、低收入选民和工会成员。
