Ohio is center of attention once again

With less than 48 hours to go until the primary, both Democratic candidates for president were in Westerville today, underscoring the importance of Ohio in Tuesday's election.

“The last days leading up to Tuesday are the ones we really need you. . . .This election is going to be one of the most consequential in our nation’s history,’’ Sen. Hillary Clinton said to about 3,000 supporters at Westerville North High School.

“This is a wartime election. We have two wars going on. We have to end the war in Iraq and win the war in Afghanistan,’’ Clinton said.

“Ohio is once again the center of attention for a reason,” she said.

Clinton also spoke at rallies today in Akron, Cleveland and Youngstown. She plans to be back in Ohio Monday at a rally in Toledo.

“Change is going to happen whether we do anything or not,'' Clinton said. "The question is, 'Are we going to make progress together?' "

Sen. Barack Obama spoke about four hours later, two miles away, at Westerville Central High School after a campaign stop in Athens County. (The crowd is warming up to chants of "We will, we will Barack you. We will, we will Barack you." There are about 2,500 supporters here now, although hundreds had to be turned away for lack of space.)

Obama was introduced by U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, who said the senator from Illinois understands both foreign policy and military policy. “This country has been crying out for somebody who could bring us together,’’ the West Virginia Democrat said.

We’ve vastly neglected homeland security, Rockefeller said, “which he will not do. . . I want him to be our president. We need him to be our president.”

Shortly after Obama walked in to rousing cheers, someone shouted, "We love you."

"I love you, too," Obama said.