Pundits might be predicting the demise of her presidential hopes but Hillary Clinton made clear yesterday that she considers her campaign far from over as she launched a mocking attack on Barack Obama’s message of change and unity (writes Hannah Strange).

The former first lady abandoned the conciliatory tone she adopted at last week’s Texas debate to deliver a caustic parody of her rival’s lofty oratorical style, contrasting it with her own message of experience and pragmatism.

“I could just stand up here and say ’Let’s just get everybody together, let’s get unified,’” she told supporters at a rally in Providence, Rhode Island.

“The sky will open, the light will come down, celestial choirs will be singing and everyone will know we should do the right thing and the world will be perfect.

“Maybe I’ve just lived a little long, but I have no illusions at how hard this is going to be. You are not going to wave a magic wand and have the special interests disappear.”

Mrs Clinton went on to emphasise her years of political experience and record as a senator for New York.

“It’s been called the toughest job that you can have because you’ve got to bring people together to find common ground and then to move forward, that is what I’ve done my entire life. And it is what I have done now in the Senate, where I have worked across party lines to solve people’s problems.”

Mrs Clinton, who appeared to sound an elegiac note at last week’s debate after losing 11 contests to Mr Obama since February 5, earlier yesterday reassured anxious donors that she can revive her flagging campaign with wins in Ohio and Texas. Speaking at a Boston fundraiser, she outlined a roadmap to victory in the two delegate-rich states, which go to the polls on March 4, saying she was “extremely positive” about the outcome.

She pledged to continue to stress her differences with her rival on issues such as universal healthcare and said she will sharpen her attacks on the young Illinois senator’s lack of political experience. “We’re going to emphasise more and more the experience gap,” she said.“You’ll hear a lot about it the next eight days.”

However her apparent unwillingness to recalibrate her strategy against Mr Obama - the theme of change versus experience has so far failed to dent his burgeoning popularity - may worry some supporters.

The Clinton campaign hopes that Ohio and Texas will prove to be “firewall” states that will finally halt Mr Obama’s growing momentum. Bill Clinton, the former president, has said publicly that his wife probably needs to win both of them if she is to win the Democratic presidential nomination.

In Texas particularly, Mrs Clinton hopes that Latino community, where she has commanded considerable support in the past, will help her to a much-needed win. However recent polls show the race to be a statistical dead heat, while in Ohio, polls show Mrs Clinton with a narrowing lead.

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