U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton tried to raise doubts about surging rival Barack Obama on Thursday but said in an emotional debate finale that "whatever happens, we're going to be fine."
Clinton, her political life on the line based on whether she can win big victories in Texas and Ohio on March 4, questioned Obama's readiness to become commander-in-chief, said he has a weak resume and criticized him for borrowing rhetoric for his uplifting campaign speeches.
But in a passionate concluding statement - perhaps her most emotional since she shed tears in New Hampshire in January - she made reference to her past political battles from her husband's time in the White House, without detailing them.
Clinton, a New York senator, said she had "lived through some crises and some challenging" moments in her life but that they had been "nothing compared to what goes on every single day in the lives of people across our country."
"Whatever happens, we're going to be fine," she said, looking at Obama seated beside her. "We have strong support from our families and our friends. I just hope that we'll be able to say the same thing about the American people and that's what this election should be about."
Obama appeared touched by her words and the two shook hands warmly in the middle of her statement.
TIGHT RACES IN TEXAS, OHIO
They went into the debate with different objectives.
Obama, an Illinois senator who would be the first black president, wanted to protect his dominant position after 10 straight wins in the state-by-state nomination process.
Clinton, who would be the first woman president, wanted to try to shake up the race for the Democratic nomination to face the Republican Party's choice in November's election.
Whether she was successful was an open question.
In her toughest line of the night, she drew scattered boos from some in the audience for ridiculing Obama for using rhetoric in his speeches that had already been used by a supporter, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.
"If your candidacy is going to be about words, then they should be your own words," she said. "And you know, lifting whole passages from someone else's speeches is not change you can believe in, it's change you can Xerox."
Obama said the fuss over the lines he used from Patrick was "silly season" politics.
