Clinton and Obama renew campaign-trail brawl

By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent

GREENVILLE, South Carolina (Reuters) - Democratic White House hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama renewed their campaign-trail brawl on Tuesday, hours after angrily denouncing each other in a fierce South Carolina debate.

Clinton said the sharp tone of Monday's debate, when the pair exchanged a series of harsh accusations, was a sign of Obama's growing frustration after two consecutive losses in their duel for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Obama said Clinton would say anything to get elected and he needed to set the record straight.

"Sen. Obama is very frustrated. The events of the last 10 or so days, particularly the outcomes in New Hampshire and Nevada, have apparently convinced him to adopt a different strategy," said Clinton, a New York senator who would be the first U.S. woman president.

"He clearly came last night looking for a fight. He was determined and launched right in," she said at a news conference in Washington. "And I thought it was important to set the record straight."

Obama, an Illinois senator who would be the first black U.S. president, said he was determined to fight back against what he says are distortions of his record coming from Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

"I think it's very clear, Sen. Clinton and President Clinton have been spending the last month attacking me in ways that are not accurate. At some point it was appropriate for us to answer them," he said before an economic speech in Greenville.

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