PITTSBURGH -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said emphatically Wednesday night that Sen. Barack Obama can win the White House this fall, undercutting her efforts to deny him the Democratic presidential nomination by suggesting he would lead the party to defeat.

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Debate Recap: Live In Philadelphia

Debate Recap: Clinton Watch Party

Debate Recap: Obama Watch Party

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"Yes, yes, yes," she said when pressed about Obama's electability during a campaign debate in Philadelphia six days before the Pennsylvania primary.

Asked a similar question about Clinton, Obama said, "Absolutely and I've said so before" -- a not-so-subtle response to suggestions from his rival that he could not defeat Republican Sen. John McCain.

But for almost an hour, the two candidates were drilled with controversial questions, including claims that Clinton landed in Bosnia under sniper fire in 1996 as first lady.

"They seemed like very loaded questions that were almost non-issues," said Clinton supporter Dave Davis, who was at a debate watch party at the Steel City Bar in downtown Pittsburgh. "I think the debate should be based on the issues."

Clinton issued a first-ever public apology in the incident Wednesday night.

"I may be a lot of things, but I am not dumb," she said, adding that she had written in her book that there had been no gunfire during the episode. She said she was embarrassed by her error. "I'm sorry I said it," she added.

She previously had explained her incorrect comments by saying she had misspoken.

Obama was asked at one point whether he believed Clinton has been fully truthful as a candidate. "I think that Sen. Clinton has a strong record to run on. She wouldn't be here if she didn't."

"I believe she was definitely on her game when she was speaking," said Davis. "Obama, who is usually very concise, very confident, seemed to be stuttering more and seemed to not be answering the questions. She (Clinton) did a little bit better."

It was Obama's turn to explain a few moments later, when asked about his controversial comment that small town Americans become bitter because of economic adversity, and "cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them" as a result.

He said he was attempting to say that because voters feel ignored by government, "they end up being much more concerned about votes around things like guns where traditions have been passed on from generation to generation. And those are incredibly important to them."

"People don't cling to their traditions on hunting and guns" out of frustration with their government, Clinton said. She added that Obama had a fundamental misunderstanding on the role of religion and faith.

"The fire we were taking tonight was not imagined. I think it was real," said Obama lead strategist David Axelrod. "But I think he handled it well. He is an honest guy who wants to try to bring this country together and move it forward, and I think people saw that tonight. Obviously Sen. Clinton came in with a different strategy, which was to be as negative as she could be."

When asked if Obama had a rough go toward the beginning of the debate, chair of the Western Pennsylvania steering committee for Obama, Cliff Levine, who was in Philadelphia, said he feels the nature of the questions weren't important policy questions.

"I think there was a lot of negativity and maybe some triviality in some of the questions for both sides," said Levine. "And I think it wasn't until later that they asked important issues like how you fix Social Security and how you deal with important issues to Americans, so that's always a source of frustration when it really doesn't focus on the big issues."

The latest WTAE-TV/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review/Franklin and Marshall College poll, released on Tuesday, showed Clinton clinging to a 46-40 percent lead over Obama in Pennsylvania. In March, Clinton led 51 percent to 35 percent.

Early Wednesday morning, Obama picked up the endorsement of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which said Clinton's recent criticism of Obama represents "the cynical responses of the old politics to the new" and amounts to doing the Republicans' work for them.

In the debate, both rivals pledged not to raise taxes on individuals making less than $200,000, and said they would respond forcefully if Iran obtains nuclear weapons and uses them against Israel.

"An attack on Israel would incur massive retaliation by the United States," said Clinton.

Obama said, "The U.S. would take appropriate action."

Obama and Clinton differed over Social Security when Obama said he favored raising payroll taxes on higher-income individuals. Clinton said she was opposed, and her rival quickly cut in and countered that she had said earlier in the campaign she was open to the idea.

Under current law, workers must pay the payroll tax on their first $102,000 in wages. Obama generally has expressed support for a plan to reimpose the tax beginning at a level of $200,000 or more.

Both Obama and Clinton sidestepped when asked if they would place their rival on the ticket as vice presidential running mate in the fall.

"I think very highly of Sen. Clinton's record, but I think it is premature at this point to talk about who the vice presidential candidates will be because we're still trying to determine who the nominee will be," Obama said.

Clinton was similarly noncommittal. "I'm going to do everything I possibly can to make sure that one of us takes the oath of office next January. I think that has to be the overriding goal," she said.

"I think Sen. Clinton hit it out of the park tonight," Gov. Ed Rendell said of Clinton shortly after the debate. "I'm real proud of the way she conducted herself. I think she showed why people like myself believe she's the best bet to be president, the best bet to be commander in chief of our foreign policy and our military."

Pennsylvania's primary is set for April 22.

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