Democrat presidential front-runner Barack Obama congratulated rival Hillary Clinton for her "tide-turning" victory in the key Pennsylvania primary, even as he flayed her for using "terror tactics" to scare voters.
Speaking in Indiana, where the next major primary would take place on May 6, the Illionis Senator credited Clinton for a "terrific race" in the north-eastern state.
Obama, 47, also stressed that the November's election was about not just defeating Republicans, but about what kind of Democratic Party might win power.
However, targeting Clinton for last-minute measures, including an ominous ad that featured images of Al Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden, Obama said: "We can be a party that thinks the only way to look tough on national security is to talk, and act, and vote like George Bush and John McCain. We can use fear as a tactic, and the threat of terrorism to scare up votes."
Further slamming Clinton, Obama said, "You can't be the champion of working Americans, if you're funded by the lobbyists who drown out their voices. We can be a party that says and does whatever it takes to win the next election. We can calculate and poll-test our positions and tell everyone exactly what they want to hear. Or we can be the party that doesn't just focus on how to win but why we should.
We can seek to regain not just an office, but the trust of the American people that their leaders in Washington will tell them the truth. That's the choice in this election," he added.