IN THE HEADLINES

Clinton says she and Obama owe King for where they are today ... Obama says rivals want to 'run me down' .... Romney repeats vow to rebuild Mich. economy as he campaigns there ... Edwards calls for ban on coal-fired power plants ... Giuliani raps Democrats but says parties should put aside differences ... Huckabee tells Mich. supporters he understands struggles of working-class people ... McCain defends S.C. mailers on Mitt Romney record ... Thompson focuses on his national security plans

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Clinton says she, Obama, owe King

NEW YORK (AP) _ Democratic Hillary Rodham Clinton said she and rival presidential candidate Barack Obama are where they are today because of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"We have to bring our party together and our country together," the New York senator added.

The former first lady spoke Monday at a ceremony honoring King's birthday, which was sponsored by the Service Employees International Union.

Her comments came as she and Obama have become embroiled in racially tinged disputes.

Clinton had said King's dream of racial equality was realized only when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, while Bill Clinton said Obama was telling a "fairy tale" about his opposition to the Iraq war. Black leaders have criticized their comments, and Obama said Sunday her comment about King was "ill-advised."

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Obama says rivals want to 'run me down'

RENO, Nev. (AP) _ Democrat Barack Obama said his presidential opponents are trying to "run me down," and aren't focused on telling voters why they should be President Bush's successor.

"These days some of my opponents seem to be more intent on trying to explain why I shouldn't be president than why they should be president," the Illinois senator told a crowd at the Reno Events Center. "They don't seem to have anything positive to say about their own record. All they're trying to do is run me down."

Earlier, he met with four people from the area who are struggling with the housing crisis. Obama called it an "outrage" that people are facing foreclosure when Washington could have protected consumers.

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Romney opposes auto industry bailout

DETROIT (AP) _ Republican Mitt Romney on Monday repeated his recent vow to do the best of any of the presidential contenders at rebuilding Michigan's sagging economy, but he rejected an outright government bailout of the auto industry.

"I'm not open to a bailout, but I am open to a workout," he told about 600 people at the Detroit Economic Club. "Washington should not be a benefactor, but it can and must be a partner."

During the final day of campaigning before the Michigan primary, the former Massachusetts governor, who was born in Michigan, also said he would convene an auto industry summit within his first 100 days as president to seek a comprehensive solution. He said it was critical, because the ills affecting auto manufacturing could spread to the aerospace, pharmaceutical and other industries if they country does not unify around fixes.

"What Michigan is feeling will be felt by the entire nation, unless we win the economic battle here," he said.

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Edwards opposes coal-fired power plant

PAWLEYS ISLAND, S.C. (AP) _ Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards on Monday said a proposed coal-fired power plant shouldn't be built in northeastern South Carolina, continuing his call for a ban on those facilities.

"My view is that needs to stop," Edwards said of the $1 billion, 600-megawatt plant set to be built along the Pee Dee River in this early voting state. Santee Cooper officials are awaiting a final permit from state environmental regulators.

The utility's officials say they need the plant to meet energy demands, and can't wait for newer or cleaner energy to be developed, but have said the plant will be environmentally responsible. They hope to have it running about 2012.

Edwards told about 150 people at a campus of Coastal Carolina University that coal-fired plants are "taking a bad situation and making it worse."

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Giuliani calls for bickering to end

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) _ Rudy Giuliani spent his day criticizing Democrats but said the two parties should plant a white flag in Washington next November and put aside their differences.

"As soon as the election is over, somebody should put up an armistice," Giuliani told more than 700 retirees at a town hall meeting Monday. "They should put a white flag somewhere either at the Capitol or at the White House or at both places, everybody get together and say 'How about we don't fight for a year or two, how about we try to get something done for a year or two,' and let's have a debate over principles."

The former New York City mayor was answering from the audience about how he would solve partisan bickering, a theme that has begun to catch on elsewhere in the race, pushed by Democrat Barack Obama, Republican Mike Huckabee and potential independent Michael Bloomberg, among others.

But earlier in the day, and then again in the afternoon, Giuliani gleefully attacked Democrats _ mainly Hillary Clinton _ for favoring a "nanny government approach."

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Huckabee: Lost jobs result of tax system

AUGUSTA, Mich. (AP) _ Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee said he's the only Republican candidate who understands the struggles of working-class people in Michigan.

"If you want somebody who believes the status quo is just fine, you have plenty of choices," he told about 100 people at an early morning rally in Augusta, Mich.

Huckabee later toured a metal plant in Lansing, Mich. Speaking afterward to about 200 Demmer Corp. employees, Huckabee made his familiar common-man pitch.

"Some of the toughest competition your company faces is from its own government, whose tax policies, whose regulatory policies, the threat of litigation, makes it real tough to stay in business," he said.

He also toured a General Motors plant in Ypsilanti, Mich., where robots outnumbered the handful of workers visible building transmissions.

"Robotics don't replace human beings; they only enhance the level of productivity," he told reporters inside the plant.

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McCain defends mailers on Romney

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) _ White House hopeful John McCain on Monday defended mailers his campaign sent to South Carolina households about rival Mitt Romney's record on taxes.

The mailer claims Romney raised taxes by $700 million.

"It's not negative campaigning. It's what his position is," McCain told reporters at a stop in Holland, Mich.

"We won't go tit for tat. But we will respond," the Arizona senator said.

McCain had several scheduled stops Monday in Michigan, which holds its primary Tuesday. He told more than 1,000 people gathered at a high school in Kalamazoo, Mich., that the state's "best days are ahead of it."

"The best, most productive workers in the world reside in this state," he said. "We're not going to leave these people behind. That's what America is supposed to be all about."

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Thompson: U.S. must rebuild its military

AIKEN, S.C. (AP) _ Presidential candidate Fred Thompson emphasized his plans for national security Monday as he campaigned in South Carolina, a state he has said is critical for his White House bid.

The former Tennessee senator said the U.S. must rebuild its military. He will sit down with congressional leaders, but if that doesn't work, Thompson said he'll simply going over their heads.

"We have to understand we are in a conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan that's part of a wider effort in a global war that's been declared on us by radical Islam," he told several hundred people gathered at a restaurant.

"The way you avoid a fight is prevail in those situations you find yourself in and be stronger than your adversary," he said.

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THE DEMOCRATS

Barack Obama makes stops in Nevada. John Edwards talks to voters in South Carolina, while Hillary Rodham Clinton campaigns in New York.

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THE REPUBLICANS

John McCain, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney talk to voters in Michigan. Fred Thompson greets voters in South Carolina. Rudy Giuliani visits supporters in Florida.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"When the circus finally comes to town, we'll certainly have the strongest grass roots operation in the state." _ Brent Seaborn, Republican candidate Rudy Giuliani's national strategy director, talking to reporters about the Florida primary.

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STAT OF THE DAY:

In South Carolina, where the GOP votes on Jan. 19, white evangelicals account for 53 percent of the state's likely Republican voters, according to the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.

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Compiled by Ann Sanner

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.