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One day after fighting to a virtual draw with Senator Obama in the Super Tuesday primaries, Senator Clinton acknowledged that his fund-raising supremacy had pushed her to tap her personal finances in January for the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination.

"I loaned the campaign $5 million from my money," Clinton said, a day after 22 state nominating contests failed to set a clear front runner for the Democratic nomination.

"I loaned it because I believe very strongly in this campaign. We had a great month fund-raising in January, broke all records. But my opponent was able to raise more money," Clinton said.

The admission came as Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean warned that the party needed to settle the winner before its nominating convention in August or face an uphill challenge against Republicans in the November 4 presidential election.

"The idea that we can afford to have a big fight at the convention and then win the race in the next eight weeks, I think, is not a good scenario," Dean said on NY1 television, according to excerpts.

"I think we will have a nominee sometime in the middle of March or April. But if we don't, then we're going to have to get the candidates together and make some kind of an arrangement," he said.

The virtual tie between Clinton - seeking to become the country's first female president - and Obama, in his quest to be the first African-American US leader, has opened the prospect that the convention, which formally anoints a nominee, could end up being "brokered". That is, negotiated under great pressure and the cloud of shady deal-making in back rooms.

While Dean warned of that scenario, on the Republican side John McCain sought to woo the Republican Party's wary conservative base to seal the deal for his party's nomination after a spate of solid victories on Super Tuesday.

But McCain, 71, remains short of the 1,191 needed to win the nomination, according to a Real Clear Politics count.

The Super Tuesday fight left Clinton and Obama in a virtual dead heat, forcing them to galvanise their campaigns for several more gruelling weeks fighting on new state battlegrounds.

A Real Clear Politics running count had the New York senator with 900 delegates, not yet half of the 2,025 she needs to capture the nomination. Illinois Senator Obama, 46, was close behind with 824.

Photo AFP

Vocabulary

vulnerability, n: openness to attack; show of weakness

to tap, v: to take away from; to draw from

pocketbook, n: financial resources; in olden times a book-like container for money that used to be kept inside the chest pocket of a vest coat.

virtual, adj: almost true or real

to settle, v: to fix; to agree on

uphill, adj: difficult

quest, n: attempt to reach a specific goal

to anoint, v: to choose as a leader

brokered, adj: arranged

spate, n: a sudden and unexpected large quantity

Questions

1. Where do candidates usually get money from for their campaign?

a. bribes

b. fund-raisers

c. personal funds

d. appearance fees

2. How much of her own money has Clinton invested in her campaign?

a. $900,000

b. $1,191,000

c. $5,000,000

d. $22,000,000

3. When is the Democratic nomination convention held?

a. April

b. August

c. October

d. November

4. What office do these people want to be nominated for?

a. president

b. chancellor

c. lord mayor

d. prime minister

5. Who is the most likely Republican candidate?

a. Dean

b. Clinton

c. Obama

d. McCain

Synonyms

1. gruelling

a. useless

b. endless

c. repeated

d. exhausting

2. draw

a. tie

b. win

c. loss

d. defeat

3. supremacy

a. skill

b. advantage

c. dominance

d. expectation

4. cloud

a. benefit

b. suspicion

c. protection

d. agreement

5. seal

a. alter

b. close

c. break

d. negotiate

KEY

Questions          1.  b, 2.  c, 3.  b, 4. a, 5. d

Synonyms          1.  d, 2.  a, 3.  c, 4. b, 5. b

By Ajarn Horst Baelz