WRAPUP 1-Clinton, Obama backers tone down rhetoric

By David Wiessler

WASHINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) - Backers of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama toned down their rhetoric on Sunday for fear party infighting might turn voters against Democrats and deliver their votes into the hands of Republican John McCain.

All over the Sunday TV talk show circuit, journalists tried to get campaigners working for Clinton and Obama to attack the other side, but time and time again the supporters would not take the bait and tried to stay on the high road.

"If this party breaks apart, then clearly we'll probably pull defeat from the jaws of victory," Leon Panetta, who was President Bill Clinton's chief of staff, said on CBS's "Face the Nation."

Clinton and Obama took the day off after telling their campaigns last week to tone down the language in the race to win the party's nomination for the November election.

The man either of them will face in November, Republican candidate John McCain, was in Baghdad. With no Republican competition, the Arizona senator was able to take trips such as this to bolster his foreign policy credentials.

Democrats had no such luxury. They were still being questioned about remarks made by Clinton supporter Geraldine Ferraro and Obama's pastor Jeremiah Wright that many considered inappropriate. Clinton, a New York senator, and Obama, an Illinois senator, have disavowed the statements and their supporters wanted to avoid discussing the comments.

Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, an Obama supporter, told "Fox News Sunday" his candidate had repudiated Wright's remarks damning America and "guilt by association here is something we've got to stay away from in this country."

An effort to get Sen. Charles Schumer of New York to go on the attack over the issue failed when he responded, "I agree with Chris here. Look, each campaign is wide-ranging. Supporters are all over the place."