BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama was slammed by his Democratic rivals Wednesday as "irresponsible" for his potential foreign policy.

    In his speech at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars in Washington, D.C., Obama said "if Pakistani leaders were to fail to take action against the known terrorists within their borders," he would dispatch forces as president, removing troops from Iraq and put them on the right battlefield in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

    "There are terrorists holed up in those mountains (in Pakistan) who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are plotting to strike again," Obama said. "If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will."

    His chief Democratic rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton, who leads by about 15 percent in national polls, blasted Obama as "irresponsible" for his speech Wednesday.

    Obama's speech came a week after he was described as naive by Clinton, for saying he'd been willing to meet with "leaders of Cuba, Iran and North Korea without conditions."

    A poll by The Wall Street Journal and NBC News said Clinton has widened her lead over Obama, going up to 43 percent in July from 39 percent in June. Obama tallied 22 percent, down from 25 percent in June.

    Meanwhile, Chris Dodd, another senator of the Democratic, said "Frankly, I am not sure what Barack is calling for in his speech this morning. But it is dangerous and irresponsible to leave even the impression the United States would needlessly and publicly provoke a nuclear power." 

    The White House defended its policy toward Pakistan, without commenting directly on Obama's remarks.

    (Agencies)