PHILADELPHIA — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said yesterday that she was pleased that Sen. Barack Obama had spoken about race and politics, but would not say whether she thought Obama had sufficiently distanced himself from the remarks of his former pastor.

Clinton's remarks came at a news conference at Philadelphia City Hall during which she reiterated her commitment to begin the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq within 60 days of becoming president. Today is the fifth anniversary of the war.

Stressing that she had neither heard nor read Obama's speech, Clinton said she was "very glad" he had addressed the topic. She called the issues of race and gender "complicated" and noted that they had created "detours and pitfalls" in the Democratic presidential contest.

"But we should remember that this is an historical moment for the Democratic Party and for our country," she said. "We will be nominating the first African-American or the first woman for president of the United States. That is something that all Americans can and should celebrate."

Later, Clinton was asked whether she thought Obama had done enough, before yesterday, to denounce some of the more inflammatory comments made by the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.

"I think that question should be directed to him," she said, meaning Obama.

On the subject of Iraq, Clinton used the war's fifth anniversary to remind voters of her intent to end it "as quickly and as responsibly as possible."

Her plan, in addition to initiating troop withdrawals within two months of her taking office, calls for the United States to launch an intense diplomatic initiative intended to bring stability to the region.

Clinton — who won the endorsement yesterday of Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., a critic of the war — discussed steps she has taken as a senator to force the Pentagon to start planning for withdrawal and to prevent President Bush from limiting the policy options of his successor.

And, as she has for weeks, she sought to draw a contrast between herself and Obama, suggesting, without mentioning him by name, that he is all talk and that she embodies both talk and action.

"In the end, the test is not the speeches a president delivers but whether a president delivers on the speeches," she said. "And I will deliver. ... My plans are not a 'best-case scenario' or a promise I do not intend to keep."

Obama has said he would begin troop withdrawals immediately on taking office and would complete them within 16 months, save for a small residual force.

Several weeks ago, Samantha Power, then Obama's top foreign-policy adviser, described that schedule as a "best-case scenario," prompting the Clinton camp to question whether Obama meant what he said.

Since then, Power has resigned from the Obama campaign, and the Illinois senator has repeated his commitment to a 16-month timetable.

On another matter, Clinton said she understood that the National Archives would release today the daily appointment schedules of her years as first lady. News organizations and the Obama campaign had been pressing for the information.