Clinton cranks up rhetoric against Obama, other rivals

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton is turning up the heat on her closest Democratic rival, Barack Obama.

Campaigning in Iowa, with a month to go before the nation’s first political caucuses, Clinton suggested the Illinois senator has too little experience for the White House.

Clinton also accused Obama of a “rush to campaign,” which caused him to miss a vote on a resolution that named an Iranian group as a terrorist organization.

An Obama campaign spokesman says the Illinois senator doesn’t need lectures in political courage “from someone who followed George Bush to war in Iraq.”

The heated rhetoric underscores the tightness of the race. Polls show a dead heat between Clinton and Obama in Iowa, with former Senator John Edwards also in strong contention.