Dodges Undercut Clinton Image as "Strong Leader"

There already is fallout from Hillary's decision not to answer questions, and play it safe, during yesterday's debate:

Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign slogan is "Ready for Change, Ready to Lead" yet she has adopted the time-honored, front-runner strategy of dodging tough questions, contradicting the image of a strong leader.

The former first lady and New York senator refused to take a position on a range of substantive issues during Wednesday night's debate, from Social Security reform to U.S. troop deployments in Iraq to whether Israel, if threatened, has the right to attack Iran.

She even ducked the question of which team she'd root for if her hometown Chicago Cubs met the New York Yankees in next month's World Series. "Well, I would probably have to alternate sides," she said.

[...]She also burst into laughter when pressed on certain points, such as when Mike Gravel said he was "ashamed" she had voted to in the Senate to boost pressure on a renegade group inside Iran.

Hillary isn't the only one who thinks her party's nomination is in the bag, so do the Republicans:

Sensing that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) will win the Democratic presidential nomination, Republican Party operatives are stepping up their political attacks on the former first lady but are wary of going too far with their criticisms because she is a woman.

As with the other Democratic White House hopefuls, GOP strategists are concerned that extremely aggressive rhetoric against Clinton could backfire. However, they point out that they are devoting significant resources to defeat her.

She is so far ahead that Edwards is being forced to turn to the government for assistance:

Former Sen. John Edwards’s (D-N.C.) campaign said Thursday it will accept public matching funds for the 2008 primary season, and one campaign official said the campaign is expecting to raise about $7 million for the third quarter, which ends at midnight on Sunday.

Just call her Slick Hillary:

Clinton's 2002 vote for the war, the health care debacle and ties to a corrupt fundraiser -- something was supposed to stick. So far, nothing has.

“Don't people think there's so much negative attached to this woman?” asks Axelrod.

[...]The war and health care are both potential minefields for her, and she’s slipped both punches, says Democratic consultant Anita Dunn.

[...]Nothing points up this Teflon quality of Clinton more than the war. She took a lot of hits from the left when she wouldn't apologize for her vote to go to war. But in the most recent national polls, when asked which Democrat Americans trusted most on Iraq, the answer was Hillary Clinton.