Obama shows off his military support at Chicago appearance
On the heels of two more primary wins, Barack Obama touted the endorsements of nine high-ranking, retired military officers Wednesday to rebut Hillary Clinton's contention that he is not ready to lead a nation at war.
"Instead of a serious, substantive debate, we have heard vague allusions to the commander-in-chief threshold that seems to be about nothing more than the number of years you've spent in Washington," Obama said at a Chicago news conference, flanked by American flags and retired military officials in suits. "That is exactly what is wrong with the national security debate in Washington."
Obama reiterated his argument that his early opposition to the Iraq war -- in contrast to Clinton -- shows he has the judgment to lead the military. He also said he would boost military recruitment by about 85,000 troops by inspiring Americans to serve their country.
The military officials present at the news conference included generals and admirals from the Army, Navy and Air Force with decades of experience serving under various presidents.
Clinton also has a slew of military endorsements, including much of the top brass from her husband's administration. The New York senator also points to her experience as first lady during international crises and diplomatic trips abroad while in the Senate.
The defensive move Wednesday by Obama on foreign policy comes after he swept Mississippi's primary on Tuesday and Wyoming's caucuses on Saturday.
According to an Associated Press analysis, Mississippi's primary earned Obama 19 delegates and won Clinton 14 delegates. But Clinton erased that gain Wednesday after final results became available from a couple of Super Tuesday contests.
In the overall race for the nomination, Obama has 1,602 delegates, including separately chosen party and elected officials known as superdelegates. Clinton has 1,497, according to the AP count. It takes 2,025 delegates to secure the nomination.
Yet, analysts say Obama may have an uphill battle in Pennsylvania, the next primary, which is set for a distant April 22. Illinois went for Obama on Feb. 5.
Clinton has kept in the race by winning large states, most recently Texas and Ohio. Clinton and her husband, the former president, have been campaigning hard in Pennsylvania, where they enjoy the support of the governor and Philadelphia's mayor.
At the same time, the Clinton camp has pushed for earlier votes in Michigan and Florida to be counted.
The Democratic Party has rejected the primaries' results because the states held their elections earlier in the campaign schedule than party rules allowed. Obama was not on the ballot in Michigan and neither candidate campaigned in Florida.
Obama said Wednesday he wants votes in those states to count in an "equitable" way, but he declined to endorse a specific resolution, such as a do-over or a mail-in election.