NEW YORK: Firing a fresh salvo in a presidential election battle that has turned into a war of the sexes, Sarah Palin has taunted Barack Obama for not picking Hillary Clinton as his running mate.

As John McCain’s surprise vice-presidential candidate, Palin has been giving her first major media interview. In the latest instalment released by TV network ABC on Friday, Palin took aim at Obama’s decision to pass Clinton over. “I think he’s regretting not picking her now. I do,” the Alaska governor told ABC anchor Charlie Gibson. She went on to praise Clinton’s performance in her epic but doomed nomination battle with Obama. “What determination and grit and even grace, through some tough shots that were fired her way. She handled those well,” Palin said.

Since being launched on the national scene, Palin has rejuvenated McCain’s fortunes, spearheaded by a flow of women voters. Palin has publicly praised Clinton as a means of wooing that key female demographic. However, she has also brought a notably more negative tone to the election, marked by a series of ugly rows between the two camps.

Her latest comments about Clinton proved no exception. In a sharp-edged response, Obama-supporting Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said: “Sarah Palin should spare us the phoney sentiment and respect.” That sort of prompt push back is likely to define the Obama camp as it copes with the way Palin has shaken up the race. Painfully aware of the floundering John Kerry campaign of 2004, Obama has in effect relaunched for the final seven weeks of the battle. “Today is the first day of the rest of the campaign,” said Obama campaign manager David Plouffe, in an email on Friday. “We will respond with speed and ferocity to John McCain’s attacks, and we will take the fight to him.”

“Democrats have to be more aggressive. They have to be proactive,” said Professor Joanne Green, a political scientist at Texas Christian University. Obama now seems to have taken such advice to heart, using hard-hitting new adverts that are trying to put the focus back on McCain and on the bread-and-butter issues facing America. A new ad unveiled at the end of last week was about the economy but did not hesitate to attack McCain personally, pointing to remarks he once made about not knowing how to use a computer or send an email.

Yet it will be difficult to get the spotlight off Palin. Huge speculation surrounded her first TV interview and she appears to have mostly cleared the hurdle of her first bout of media exposure. Palin spent long hours holed up in Alaska with senior Republican aides, going over talking points, briefing her with policy memos and firing mock questions. In the end she did hesitate and stumble over some key questions, especially foreign policy and the intricacies of welfare policy. However, she also came off as confident and able to handle herself in the face of determined questioning. “She’s a former beauty queen and an ex-sports anchor. She’s a communicator. She has shown that. Many Americans think: I would be comfortable having her sitting in my kitchen,” said Steve Mitchell, a pollster and chairman of Mitchell Research. “Democrats ought to be concerned.”They are. Palin has had a huge impact. After months of Obama sitting ahead of McCain, suddenly the positions are reversed. The latest average of polls has McCain ahead of Obama by 2.3 points. He also improved his performance in key battleground states, such as Ohio and Florida, that will decide the election.

Palin seems to have tapped into a large section of women voters the Obama camp overlooked or assumed would flock to its candidate. But there is also some truth in Palin’s claims that Obama might regret not picking Clinton or another woman. His choice of Senator Joe Biden created the chance for McCain to pick Palin. Choosing Clinton would have dulled, or even prevented, the “Palin effect” now defining the race. “In a way Obama’s decisions created Palin,” said Mitchell. “He only has himself to blame.” — Dawn/ The Guardian News Service