(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Hillary Rodham Clinton is holding on to the top spot among Democratic Party supporters in the United States, according to a poll by Hart/Newhouse released by the Wall Street Journal and NBC News. 36 per cent of respondents would vote for the New York senator in a 2008 presidential primary, down four points in a month. Illinois senator Barack Obama is second with 31 per cent, followed by former North Carolina senator John Edwards with 20 per cent. Support is lower for Delaware senator Joe Biden, New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, and Ohio congressman Dennis Kucinich.

Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research, April28, 2007

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GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton told voters here yesterday that President Bush has squandered the international good will and strong economic standing her husband, former President Bill Clinton, created in the 1990s. "We've got to get back to where we can trust our government again," the New York Democrat said while campaigning in the early primary state. "Wouldn't it be nice to have a government again that was respected around the world?" Mrs. Clinton asked a crowd at the Allen Temple A.M.E. Church. "I think America is ready to have a president ... that will create alliances, not alienation, and I know America is ready for a president who will once and for all end the war in Iraq." Supporters lauded Mrs. Clinton's performance in Thursday night's first-in-the-season debates, saying she proved herself the most experienced contender. "We've got a lot of strong candidates, but there was no one stronger last night than Senator Hillary Clinton," said Andy Arnold, chairman of the Greenville Democrats, adding that the senator is "strong enough and in command enough" to run the country. At two events yesterday in Greenville, Mrs. Clinton talked about her plans to end the Iraq war and her proposed domestic policy. When asked by pro-life Democrats about abortion, she carefully replied, "The reason many of us support a woman's right to choose is not because we support abortion. "There are many people who are pro-choice who do not personally support abortion," Mrs. Clinton said. "What we are worried about is the government ... making decisions for women and families."

By Christina Bellantoni, THE WASHINGTON TIMES, Apr 28, 2007

Hillary Clinton emerged as the clear winner from the first debate between the Democratic candidates in the 2008 presidential race - ahead of her main rival Barack Obama - according to those present in the audience. She appeared to be the most comfortable of the eight runners in the 90-minute televised debate from the South Carolina university campus as she dealt with a series of questions ranging from how she would handle another terrorist attack on the US to her vote in 2002 backing the invasion of Iraq. "If we are attacked, and we can determine who is behind that attack, and if there are nations that supported or gave material aid to those who attacked us, I believe we should quickly respond," she said. But she added she would not go looking for other fights as George Bush had done in Iraq. The dominant themes for all the candidates were opposition to the Iraq war, promises to introduce universal health care and better checks on the background of those buying guns in the wake of the Virginia Tech killings. Mr Obama and the third of the frontrunners, John Edwards, started slowly and stumbled on a few occasions, particularly on how to respond to any new terrorist attacks. Mr Obama, who has been gaining in most of the polls and has matched Mrs Clinton in fundraising, showed little of the dynamic rhetoric on which he has built his reputation. The consensus among students watching the debate was summed up by 18-year-old Sharonda Richards. "Overall, Hillary did best. I was disappointed in Obama. Before I was torn betweeen Hillary and Obama," she said.

From Ewen MacAskill The Guardian Orangeburg, Apr 28, 2007

SAN DIEGO - Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton denounced President Bush on Saturday for his "Mission Accomplished" speech and said his conduct of the Iraq war was "one of the darkest blots on leadership we've ever had." Addressing delegates at the California State Democratic Party convention, Clinton said that if elected president in 2008, she would end the war. The New York senator also promised to "treat all Americans with dignity and equality no matter who you are and who you love." The pledge was clear bow to California's politically active and influential gay community. Taking on Bush's policies, Clinton contended the president has ignored scientific evidence on global warming and stem cell research while also dismissing the concerns of the middle class. She said his administration had "lied" about the effects of toxic dust at the World Trade Center site in New York after the Sept. 11 attacks. Her voice raspy from days of campaigning, Clinton brought delegates to their feet when she said she wished she could turn the clock back to a different time. "Somebody said to me that he wished we could just rewind the 21st century and just eliminate the Bush-Cheney administration, with all their mistakes and misjudgments," she said to cheers. "People are ready for leaders who understand it is our votes who put them in power, our tax dollars that pay the bills." She lambasted the "Mission Accomplished" speech nearly four years ago, in which Bush declared an end to major military actions in Iraq. He made the comment while on the deck of an aircraft carrier off the California coast. That speech, Clinton said, was "one of the most shameful episodes in American history. ... The only mission he accomplished was the re-election of Republicans." Clinton's speech was well-received among the generally left-leaning delegates who typically attend this state's Democratic gatherings.

By BETH FOUHY, Associated Press Writer, April 28, 2007

SAN DIEGO - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton got a warm reception from 2,000 California Democratic Party convention delegates Saturday with a promise to "follow California's lead on energy independence and global climate change" if elected. The New York Democrat was the first top-tier presidential candidate among the seven contenders scheduled for separate appearances at the convention podium. Only Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., was planning to skip the weekend event. Mike Gravel, former senator of Alaska, spoke Friday night. The strong lineup signaled that after recently moving up its 2008 primary election to Feb. 5, California will see more campaigning from candidates who for decades have limited their presence here to raising money. California, the nation's most populous state, has the deepest well of national party conventions' nomination votes on Feb. 5, a date now being dubbed "Super Duper Tuesday." New York also has moved its primary to Feb. 5, and as many as 30 states could end up voting that day. "Way more than half the population of America will have voted by Feb. 5," Clinton told reporters after her speech. "It puts an enormous burden on me and my campaign ... to cover a lot more ground, raise a lot more money," but the Feb. 5 primaries would enhance her support and visibility for the November election, she said. Clinton salted her standard stump speech with California references, said Jennifer Hanley, a spokeswoman for the senator. Clinton praised House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the San Francisco Democrat who was scheduled to address the state convention twice on Saturday. The senator also noted that her mother spent several childhood years in the San Gabriel Valley near Los Angeles. Saturday's gathering came days after Congress passed a $124.2 billion war-funding measure that includes a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq. As supporters waving blue "Hillary" signs crowded the convention hall's aisles, Clinton sought to burnish her credentials as a supporter of bringing U.S. troops home. If President Bush carries out his threat to veto the war bill, Democrats will gin up grassroots pressure on Republican legislators to find enough GOP votes to override the veto, Clinton said. Convention delegate Bob Stine, 62, a retired airline mechanic from the San Francisco Bay area, said he is uncommitted to a candidate and would compare the speakers wooing delegates for support. Stine said Clinton had gained support by performing well at Thursday night's televised, eight-candidate debate in Orangeburg, S.C. "The feeling I've heard is that Hillary won," said Stine, who said he has been leaning toward Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. "She did very well and made no mistakes, and Obama came off really weak." Clinton also showed off a high-profile California supporter at a news conference following her speech. State Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, who signed on to Clinton's campaign as a national co-chair last week, introduced her and brought along 13 other Assembly members to stand behind her. Nunez is influential in labor and Hispanic circles.

By Martin Kasindorf, USA TODAY, April 28, 2007

New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who has yet to endorse a presidential candidate, touted home state Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for the job Friday. Both Democrats spoke to a convention of New York State teachers at a Washington hotel, and when Spitzer followed Clinton to the podium, he gushed that she would be the next president. "What an amazing president she will be for every person in this country," said Spitzer, who for months has avoided making an early endorsement in the Democrats' nomination contest, calling such a move premature. At the podium, the governor joked the crowd shouldn't expect as good a speech from him. "Having her go first reminded me of a luncheon I was at about a year or so ago and Jerry Seinfeld spoke before I did," he said. "It's a tough act to follow."

By DEVLIN BARRETT, Associated Press Writer, Apr 27, 2007

In the wake of a 90-minute debate on the campus of South Carolina State University, even the campaign aides sent out to "spin" the press were reluctant to declare all-out victory, satisfied instead to tout their outstanding opinions of the respective candidates' performance. But there were subtleties in the debate that didn't shake up the race but may have returned it to where it was three months ago, with New York Sen. Hillary Clinton holding a clearer edge over Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. Some of the biggest differences in those brands were displayed by the two candidates under the most intense scrutiny. In polls and fundraising totals, Obama has closed the gap with the once prohibitive front-running Clinton in recent weeks. But Thursday's performances put into focus the differences in their political experience. Clinton, if not inspiring, turned in a nearly error-free performance. Forcefully advocating an end to the war in Iraq, she also came across as strong on national defense. Asked what she might do in the event of a hypothetical terrorist attack, Clinton responded, "If we are attacked and we can determine who was behind that attack, and if there were nations that supported or gave material aid to those who attacked us, I believe we should quickly respond." The New York Senator was self-effacing on issues such as the failed health care reform she pushed as first lady and the number of mistakes she has made throughout her career in public life. Clinton even reached across the aisle, saying "we need Republican support" to achieve the Democratic goal of leaving Iraq. The solid performance left Clinton aides like spokesperson Mo Elleithee simply repeating mantras such as, "Time and time again, she showed that she would be ready to lead." For his part, Obama seemed unsteady at times. In contrast to Clinton's aggressive response when asked the same question about a hypothetical terrorist attack, Obama said, "The first thing we'd have to do is make sure that we've got an effective emergency response." He continued his answer by discussing the quality of intelligence and the need to not "alienate" the international community. As if recognizing a failure to project strength, Obama returned to the question when answering a completely different one on the environment. "One thing that I do have to go back on, on this issue of terrorism. We have genuine enemies out there that have to be hunted down," he quickly said before then getting into a feisty exchange with the two fringe candidates representing the pacifist wing of the party - Rep. Dennis Kucinich and former Sen. Mike Gravel. Obama has been criticized during this early stage of the campaign for failing to lay out specifics on policy issues and relying too much on political bromides and rhetoric. At any stage of a campaign aimed at millions of people, intricate policy details are hardly expected, but Obama did little to dispel the criticism - asked specifically how he would pay for his health care ideas, he danced around the question.

CBSNews.com Senior Political Editor Vaughn Verver, Apr 27, 2007