U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama on Wednesday (March 19) 
said his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton had shown a lack of judgment when
she voted in 2002 to authorize the Iraq war. 
    In a speech marking the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of
Iraq, Obama said Clinton talks tough on national security but the vote
contributed to the error President George W. Bush made in launching a war that
has made America less safe. 
    "Here is the stark reality: there is a security gap in this
country -- a gap between the rhetoric of those who claim to be tough on
national security, and the reality of growing insecurity caused by their
decisions," Obama said in a speech in Fayetteville, North Carolina. 
    Obama is vying with Clinton to face Republican Sen. John McCain in the
November election. 
    Obama underscored a vow to end the war and said his early opposition to
the war showed he was best placed to make a "clean break" from the
Republican approach on Iraq. 
    And he likened Clinton's approach to that of McCain.   "The way to
win a debate with John McCain is not to talk, and act, and vote like him on
national security, because then we all lose. The way to win that debate and to
keep America safe is to offer a clear contrast, and that's what I will
do," he said.  
    On a visit to Detroit, Clinton reiterated her position that the United
States could start withdrawing troops within 60 days of her taking office,
adding that it was up to the Iraqis to take responsibility for their country's
future. 
    "We cannot win their civil war. There is no military
solution," she said at a quickly arranged stop to push for a repeat of
Michigan's presidential nominating contest, which had been disqualified
because it violated party rules. 
    The Democratic candidates are preparing for the next major primary
slated for Pennsylvania on April 22. The US Virgin Islands votes on April
5.