Sunday, August 19, 2007; 12:09 PM
DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton acknowledged on Sunday that many voters do not like her, but she blamed it on years of Republican attacks and insisted she has a record of winning despite her negatives.
Clinton's remarks came as the eight candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination debated in the critical early voting state of Iowa and just days after President George W. Bush's political adviser Karl Rove saying the former first lady was flawed for having high negative ratings.
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Clinton and top rival, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, came under fire early in the debate at Drake University when other candidates were invited to comment on their perceived weaknesses -- Clinton's high negative ratings in the polls and Obama's inexperience in foreign policy.
"I don't think Karl Rove's going to endorse me. That becomes more and more obvious," Clinton told the audience at the debate, which was aired by ABC News' "This Week" program. "But I find it interesting he's so obsessed with me. And I think the reason is because we know how to win."
She tackled the issue of her high negative ratings head-on, saying, "The idea that you're going to escape the Republican attack machine and not have high negatives by the time they're through with you, I think, is just missing what's been going on in American politics for the last 20 years."
Polls have shown Clinton holding double-digit leads over Obama in their effort to be the Democratic candidate in the November 2008 election.
But a recent CBS News poll showed 39 percent of all voters nationwide had an unfavorable view of Clinton, while only 20 percent viewed Obama negatively. Other polls have had Clinton's negative rating even higher.
Obama, who had a narrow lead in ABC News' Iowa poll, was criticized for his recent comments on foreign policy, including saying he would meet with U.S. rivals without preconditions and suggesting he might authorize attacks inside Pakistan without that country's permission.
"The only person that separates us from a jihadist government in Pakistan with nuclear weapons is President (Pervez) Musharraf," said Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut. "I thought it was irresponsible to engage in that kind of a suggestion here."
Clinton said she thought Obama was wrong in saying he was willing to meet without preconditions in his first year in office with U.S. adversaries such as Iran.
Obama dismissed much of the criticism as political maneuvering and quipped "to prepare for this debate, I rode in the bumper cars at the state fair." But he tried to paint Clinton's criticism as outdated thinking.
"I do think that there's a substantive difference between myself and Senator Clinton when it comes to meeting with our adversaries," he added. "I think that strong countries and strong presidents meet and talk with our adversaries. We shouldn't be afraid to do so. We've tried the other way. It didn't work."
The candidates also clashed over ending the Iraq war, with New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson arguing all U.S. forces should be removed and others cautioning that withdrawal from Iraq would be messy, difficult and time-consuming.
"We have different positions here," Richardson said. "I believe that if you leave any residual forces, then none of the peace that we are trying to bring can happen."
Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards said withdrawing U.S. troops would be difficult to do quickly, but "I think we can responsibly and in a very orderly way bring our troops out over the next nine or 10 months."
Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden, while arguing for withdrawal, warned against leaving behind a country in turmoil.
"If we leave Iraq and we leave it in chaos, there'll be regional war," he said. "The regional war will engulf us for a generation." 
Comment: My early projection for the winner of the Presidential 2008 Elections is that the next U.S. President will be from New York: either Republican Guiliani or Democrat Hillary Clinton. Brother Obama would be the most winnable progressive choice, despite his failure to support General Amnesty for native immigrants.
Keep in mind that about HALF of Americans do not even vote on Election Day even if they are registered-to-vote! Most of those who do VOTE are macho White males with cold money and in their heart of hearts they will NOT VOTE for a woman nor for an African-American male no matter how well qualified. Obama spells like Osama. Old racist, sexist and xenophobic habits die hard!
The Democratic Party is still controlled by big corporate money and liberal-conservative elements. Nothing fundamental has changed in power relationships. There is no strong alternative Third Party on the national level. The Green Party is dysfunctional on the national level, though they can influence local elections they are not a major player in national electoral politics. Nader is independent and invisible on the national scene.
The Latino vote could decisively tilt national elections with positive outcomes, but much of the Chicano-Latino poulation is still unorganized without a unified Latino Liberation Movement and many Lationos fail to vote. Most African-Americans may favor Obama and are die-hard Democrats, but many poor Black people also fail to vote on Election Day. Much of the so-called White-dominated Left-Wing progressive elements are distracted by current events in Iraq and often ignore domestic concerns: immigrants, homeless, seniors and indigenous rights. There is still no organied strong threat to the duo-party monopoly in Amerkan electoral politics and Amerikan fascism is still 'in power and secure'.
The Bush Rogue Regime with its reactionary multi-media mass propaganda keeps average Amerikans paranoid of terrorism even if they awaken out of their pathetic apathetic mind-set and look at the growing misery of poverty in their own inner cities.
Only a strong spiritual revival can help stimulate the progressive movement inside the United States that is linked up at all levels with progressive-socialist movements outside the United States, especially in South America. Look at the emboldened Muslim faith in the Middle East! Where is the Spirit of Resistance against the evil forces of reaction inside the United States??? Is anybody there?!?
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Come Together and Create!
Peter S. Lopez ~aka Peta
Sacramento, California, Aztlan
Email: sacranative@yahoo.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Humane-Rights-Agenda/
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