While liberals find her far too right-leaning on the hot-button issue of
Iraq, conservatives have stamped Clinton as a liberal who would favor big
government "tax and spend" politics and lenient social policies.
Although still the hands-down favorite for her party's nomination, Clinton's
stance in the debate leaves her newly vulnerable, pundits said.
"Maybe she's a bit overconfident about the nomination. She's running a
general election strategy ... she wants to stay moderate," said Sabato said.
"I think she's going to have a much harder time getting the nomination than
she thinks."
He predicted one challenge will be locking up the votes of centrist
Democrats, with whom he said she has an even bigger problem than with left.
"There's a broader group who would never boo her ... They all seem to say,
'Oh, I love Hillary, I think she's terrific. But of course, we can't nominate
her because she can't win the general election'," said Sabato.
At last week's gathering, Clinton's fellow senator John Kerry -- one of the
Democrats waiting in the wings should she misstep -- garnered cheers for backing
a US troop withdrawal proposal within months.
But while Kerry -- the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee -- and several
other prominent party members remain in the hunt, experts said Clinton is still
the most viable contender for the nomination.
"She has put herself in the position that is most likely to win a presidency
for a Democrat," said Thomas Mann, an analyst with the Brookings Institution in
Washington.
"She's going to have to fight for it," said analyst Stephen Hess, also of
Brookings, "but she certainly starts with greater name recognition, more money
and a more coherent group of supporters than anyone else."
Mann said Clinton would be well-advised to stay the course, even if it
prompts some chafing on the left.
"Hillarys problem with Iraq is more with activists than Democratic primary
voters," he said.
To fine-tune her stance at this point, he added, would be "to make it seem
that she'll move things for votes rather than for principle," he said.
"Her biggest challenge is persuading Democrats that she can win a general
election in spite of the withering attack Republicans are certain to launch
against her," he said.
"Thats why there remains a substantial market for
someone other than Hillary."
