Clinton's Foreign Policy Balancing Act

Clinton advisers say they see her rising on parallel tracks: among liberals who believe her when she says she would end the war, and among centrists who believe she is "tough enough" to defend the country. A recent Washington Post-ABC News poll showed Clinton ahead among Iowa voters on four key attributes: her ability to handle the situation in Iraq, strength as a leader, experience to be president and having the best chance to win in November.

Advisers to Clinton believe that her recent foreign policy moves have only made her more competitive, and they point to substantive steps she has taken, including introducing legislation requiring the Pentagon to report on its planning, co-sponsoring legislation to deauthorize the war and challenging Undersecretary of Defense Eric Edelman to explain whether the Pentagon had a strategy to withdraw troops.

Perhaps most impressed by Clinton's ability to balance running in a Democratic primary and looking ahead to competing against a Republican are Republicans themselves.

Washington Post