EUGENE – Sen. Hillary Clinton defended the critical and sometimes harsh exchanges between her presidential campaign and that of rival Barack Obama, saying, “It is not a coronation, it is a contest.”

“I don’t take any of it personally, and I don’t take most of it seriously. That’s what happens in politics,” she said at a rally in Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday.

“If you can’t stand the heat, don’t run for president because it’s a really hot kitchen in the White House, I’ll tell you that much,” she said.

Her comments came in response to a young man in the crowd who said he was an Obama supporter. He asked if anything said by her campaign might have hurt the Illinois senator and might merit an apology.

“I think this has been, by and large, one of the most positive and civil campaigns I’ve ever been a part of or know about,” she replied. “For those who are new to politics … it can be eye-opening especially when you choose sides and you’re for one or the other of us, that you can take very personally anything anybody says.”

“Elections are about choices,” she continued. “You’re supposed to present your case, and you’re supposed to critique the other case. That’s what you do in an election. It is not a coronation. It is a contest.”

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Photo: Reuters/Rebecca Cook (Clinton supporter at campaign stop in Detroit)