Pressed in Pa., Obama Steps Up Attacks

Lagging a day before the high-stakes Pennsylvania primary, Barack Obama has intensified his attacks on Hillary Clinton, painting her as a typical Washington insider, the New York Times reports. Clinton fired back, accusing Obama of dropping his hopeful message in favor of old-style politics himself. Clinton holds a 5- or 6-point lead over Obama in polls, down from 16 points a few weeks ago.

“If you get elbowed enough, eventually you start elbowing back,” Obama said. For her part, Clinton has focused on suggesting that unlike Obama, she’s tough enough to lead the country. The Pennsylvania race is the most expensive primary the state has ever seen, with a predicted $20 million spent between the campaigns; Clinton faces pressure to win at least half the delegates. (More Barack Obama stories.)