Clinton Plays Defense on Iran

Bush-light is unacceptable to many Democrats:

Hillary Clinton has mailed an unusual, direct defense of her stance toward Iran to Iowa voters, suggesting that she thinks her tough talk toward the country threatens to alienate some Democrats, and that her rivals' suggestions that she is too hawkish on Iran may be having an effect.

The letter is included in a mailing that advertises an "important letter from Hillary inside."

"Let me be clear on Iran -- I am opposed to letting President Bush take any military action against that country without full Congressional approval," the letter's second paragraph begins, after a more general paragraph describing Iran as one of America's "adversaries."

Clinton is on the defensive because she was alone among the Democratic candidates in voting for a resolution September 27 that pressed the Bush administration to declare Iran's Revolutionary Guards a terrorist group. Sens. Joe Biden and Chris Dodd voted against the bill, and former Sen. John Edwards opposed it.

Clinton's rivals suggested that she was repeating her error of authorizing the Iraq war in 2002, and offering President Bush an excuse for another Middle East conflict.

Nevertheless, her lead keeps on growing:

The fall of 2007 is a good time to be Senator Hillary Clinton. Her lead has been growing in national polls for the Democratic Presidential Nomination, her negatives have held steady while those for her challengers have been growing, she leads now in Iowa and New Hampshire, and the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that Clinton is seen as the most electable candidate in either party.

Eighty-one percent (81%) of Democrats say that Clinton is at least somewhat likely to win the White House if nominated by her party. That's up from 75% a month ago and the current total includes an astounding 50% of Democrats who believe she is Very Likely to win it all if nominated. No other candidate Republican or Democrat comes close to that figure. A month ago, 41% of Democrats thought Clinton was Very Likely to win.