Democrats Debate in Las Vegas Thursday

How many questions will Hillary refuse to answer:

Seven Democratic presidential candidates will hold a televised debate on Thursday in Las Vegas.

The two-hour debate cosponsored by CNN and the Nevada Democratic Party will be broadcast live from the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, at 5 p.m. [8pm eastern] on CNN.

For the record, Hillary is ahead in Nevada:

Sen. Hillary Clinton has a large lead over her rivals among Nevada Democratic caucus-goers, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Wednesday.

The New York Democrat is the top pick of over half, 51 percent, of the likely caucus participants interviewed for the poll. Her closest rival, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, was the choice of 23 percent. Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina came in at 11 percent.

Why are they supporting her? The propaganda is working. The former First Lady has parlayed that non-political experience into an almost incumbency:

Sixty-three percent of likely Democratic caucus-goers viewed her as having the best chance of beating the eventual Republican nominee, and 54 percent believe she would be the strongest leader among the Democratic nominees.

Now, you know it is brainwashing when you read this poll:

[...]only 40 percent said she was the most likeable, and 37 percent said she was the most honest.

"It's not mainly personal qualities that are putting Hillary Clinton over with Democrats," CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schnieder said. "It's the view that she's tough. She's experienced, and she's a winner."

But the important state is Iowa. Edwards must win or come in a close second in January, in the first caucus; the same for Obama. If Hillary wins in Iowa its over; she has the nomination:

It's a dead heat among the top three Democratic presidential candidates in the crucial early-voting state of Iowa, according to a new CBS/New York Times poll out of the Hawkeye State Wednesday.

The shocker: Huckabee is climbing. If he wins or comes in a close second in Iowa, Huckabee would get all the press, thus all the momentum heading towards New Hampshire. He would be hard to beat. Huckabee is an ex-Governor and a Southerner. They usually win:

The poll also indicates former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney continues to hold his lead over the rest of the Republican presidential field with 27 percent while dark-horse candidate and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee places a strong second with 21 percent. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani comes in third with 15 percent and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson stands at 9 percent.

You can bet that during tomorrow debate the issue of driver's licenses for illegal aliens will come up:

After New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer ended his bid to provide driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, Sen. Hillary Clinton's rivals came out swinging against the Democratic presidential hopeful for her reaction.

[...]"When it takes two weeks and six different positions to answer one question on immigration, it's easier to understand why the Clinton campaign would rather plant their questions than answer them,” Burton said.