DaytonDailyNews.com

CLEVELAND — The Democratic presidential debate inside the Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University tonight, Feb. 26, promises to be every bit as stormy as the winter weather outside, and the consensus seems to be that Sen. Hillary Clinton needs a decisive victory against Sen. Barack Obama.

"She's got to throw some pretty hard punches and hope she lands some," said Christopher Duncan, chairman of the political science department at the University of Dayton. "He's ahead on points. His job is to avoid getting hit too hard."

The debate is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. and last for 90 minutes. NBC is televising it live throughout the state, including on WDTN, Channel 2, in Dayton. It can also be seen on MSNBC.

After losing 11 straight nominating contests, Clinton needs wins in primaries in Ohio and Texas next Tuesday, March 4, to stay in the race for the Democratic nomination, said Duncan and political scientist Larry Sabato.

"March 4 is D-Day for her; either she conquers Obama or the game may be over," said Sabato of the University of Virginia. Sabato expects a less friendly tone than the candidates exhibited in their Texas debate Thursday, Feb. 21.

"I'll be very surprised if Clinton and Obama don't mix it up in Ohio," said Sabato. "The Texas debate was tame and boring. That helped Obama but not Clinton."

Since that debate, Clinton has lashed out at Obama, calling a mailing he sent out criticizing her position on NAFTA "false and discredited." "Shame on you, Barack Obama," she said in Cincinnati on Saturday, Feb. 23.

Obama responded on Sunday, Feb. 24, saying Clinton presents herself as "co-president" during Bill Clinton's years in the White House when NAFTA was approved, then tries to duck responsibility for it now that she is running for president. The trade agreement is a volatile issue in Ohio, which has lost more jobs than any other state besides Michigan since 2001.

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or whershey@DaytonDailyNews.com.