BETH REINHARD

Florida's GOP chief ripped Hillary Clinton for attending a fundraiser Monday hosted by former Hialeah Mayor Raul Martinez, triggering a four-lettered tirade from the brash politician who beat back federal corruption charges nearly two decades ago.

Martinez was convicted but successfully appealed, and two subsequent trials ended in hung juries. Told about the snarky press release from Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer, Martinez called him a vulgar word for a female body part.

"I would debate any f------ Republican about my past," Martinez said in a telephone interview. "We'll have a debate mano a mano if they want to take me on. I'm going to take them on."

He added: "I'm a businessman. I'm a Democrat. Why shouldn't I raise money at my house? I will get on the horse, and I will beat the s--- out of them."

Martinez, who stepped down as mayor in 2005, said he hasn't decided whether to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart in 2008. "But if I do, I'll give anyone a run for their money," he said.

A caustic press release from the GOP is par for the course whenever any Democratic candidate is in the state. And vice versa. By responding to the bait, Martinez allowed the opposition to distract from an otherwise successful campaign day for Clinton, packed with four private fundraisers and a forum attended by hundreds of residents at Century Village in Boca Raton.

The Clinton campaign declined to weigh in on the backbiting between Martinez and the GOP, which was trying to exploit the controversy over another Democratic fundraiser arrested last week on long-standing grand theft charges.

"Considering the controversy that is still swirling from the arrest of Norman Hsu last week, its surprising that a politician as calculating as Hillary Clinton would enlist another embattled fundraiser to help line her campaign coffers in Florida this afternoon," Greer, the state Republican chief, said in the press release.

For Clinton, the Century Village clubhouse jammed with diehard Democrats was familiar territory, compared to the first-of-its-kind Miami debate aired Sunday night on Spanish-language television. Instead of Latin America and immigration, healthcare and Social Security dominated the discussion.

"Social Security is supposed to be there no matter what," said Clinton, decrying the Bush administration's efforts to "privatize" the system. "You don't gamble with your safety net."

That's gospel to the elderly crowd, and they responded warmly. "She's just unbelievable," said Carol Wolfson, 66. "She hit it right in the heart."

The event had the tinge of a farewell tour. Clinton and all of the other major Democratic candidates have pledged not to campaign in Florida if the state does not heed national party rules that allow only four smaller states to hold primaries in January. Under a new law that seeks to elevate Florida's role in the nominating process, the presidential primary was bumped up to Jan. 29.

If the state party does not agree by Sept. 30 to schedule a later vote, the candidates' pledge would go into effect.

Fundraising is still allowed, and all of the major candidates have held events in South Florida that amount to rallies with an affordable ticket price.

"It would be a shame if they didn't come to Florida," said Glenda Kasden, 71, who attended the Boca Raton forum. "They need to be here so they can be seen and heard."