Speaking in South Carolina, Democrat Barack Obama said Friday that criticisms aimed at him by presidential rival Hillary Rodham Clinton and her husband are a sign that he might be able to win the nomination.

In a sign of cooling campaign rhetoric before Saturday's primary in South Carolina, Obama said that black voters shouldn't blame Clinton for attacks against him. He said instead it should be a "source of pride."

His comments came a day after sometimes bitter remarks from the campaigns and former president Bill Clinton, who has campaigned for his wife all week in South Carolina.

The former president said yesterday that Obama and the news media had stirred up tensions over race in response to some Democrats' criticisms of the couple's strategies