In a speech at the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO today, Senator Hillary Clinton compared herself to Rocky Balboa, the fictional boxer in the 1976 film Rocky:

Recalling a famous scene on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Clinton said that ending her presidential campaign now would be as if “Rocky Balboa had gotten halfway up those art museum steps and said, ‘Well, I guess that’s about far enough.’”

“Let me tell you something, when it comes to finishing a fight, Rocky and I have a lot in common. I never quit. I never give up. And neither do the American people,” Clinton said.

Those are fightin’ words fresh from a race that continues to pit Clinton against Senator Barack Obama in a bitter battle for the Democratic presidential nomination. The Swamp blog pointed out that Obama has used boxing terminology to describe the race as well:

Maybe it was something that Barack Obama said today — about how he had beaten Hillary Clinton in 11 straight contests “and that didn’t knock her out.”

Clinton’s Rocky tough talk may backfire, however - the Republican National Committee was quick to point out that Sylvester Stallone, the actor who portrayed Rocky Balboa, supports Senator John McCain:

Perhaps, in lieu of a debate, the three candidates could run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art to see who has the most presidential stamina…