by John McCormick
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa –Sen. Barack Obama repeated his attacks this morning against the Democratic presidential primary front-runner, claiming Sen. Hillary Clinton has dodged questions about Social Security funding.
“I don’t think you are ready to lead, if you can’t tell us where you are going,” the Illinois Democrat told about 200 people at a public library, mocking a phrase Clinton (D-N.Y.) often uses on the campaign trail.
The Social Security attacks started Saturday in Iowa and mark a new, more aggressive approach for Obama, whose supporters have called for him to more directly confront the former first lady.
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Obama and Clinton will likely get to discuss the matter in person Tuesday, when the Democrats convene for a debate in Philadelphia.
The campaign stop here came as a new poll shows Obama is in a statistical tie in Iowa with Clinton among Democrats likely to attend the state’s caucuses.The University of Iowa’s Hawkeye Poll shows Clinton at 29 percent, followed by 27 percent for Obama, 20 percent for former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and 7 percent for New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.
But the poll, conducted from Oct. 17 to Oct. 24, has a 5.5 percentage point margin of error. It interviewed 306 likely Democratic caucus participants.
A recent Iowa Poll by The Des Moines Register, a poll with smaller margin of error, showed Clinton with a seven-point lead over Obama in the state.