Hillary rivals try to nibble lead away

By Matthew Price
BBC News, New York

Hillary Clinton is going to be spending a lot of time in diners

The neon sign above the diner in Des Moines, Iowa advertises "Comfort Food".

Perhaps that helps explain why recently the Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton stopped by.

The former first lady has been the undisputed front-runner for the Democratic nomination, but there have been some indications recently that her closest opponents might be catching her up.

She looked confident enough though in the Drake diner, shaking hands with the customers, with a fixed smile as she moved from booth to booth.

Finally she sat, with some friends, and after a while spent searching the menu she chose a safe option: fruit salad and a coffee.

"When you meet somebody eye to eye, hands on, it makes a lot of difference 'cos then you see their personality upfront," one customer told me.

I'm not running to be president of the Democrats. I'm running to be president of the United States Hillary Clinton Profile: Hillary Clinton

I asked him if he'd liked what he'd seen: "Yes I did, very much."

Until 3 January, places such as the Drake diner will almost be Hillary Clinton's second home. From now until then, either she or her husband Bill, the former president, expect to be in Iowa - the first state to make its nomination for president.

"Now the fun part starts," Mrs Clinton recently remarked.

"I don't expect to get 100% of the vote. But I want people to know what they're voting for, and to make the contrast, to make an informed decision."

Applause

Across this state some have already decided. Like the woman I met at one school hall where the former first lady was speaking.

"I'm on social security and I'm a widow, and I believe strongly with all my heart and soul that she's going to make my life so much better," she said.

She's George Bush with a skirt - I don't believe she will change anything Jerry Fees Committed Democrat'

On stage Mrs Clinton was drawing applause. She would, she said, "restore American leadership around the world". She would also bring troops home from Iraq - though the clapping drowned out the caveat: "as quickly and responsibly as we can."

"I'm not running to be president of the Democrats," she said. "I'm running to be president of the United States."

The problem for her is that many don't think she can unite this divided country.

Outside the next Clinton event I bumped into Jerry Fees, who told me he was a "Yellow Dog Democrat".

"A what?" I asked. It was explained it means he would vote Democrat even if a yellow dog was running for office. An interesting concept.

So I asked if he was going in to see the Democratic front-runner. "I'm not going near."

Why not? I wondered.

"Because I believe she's George Bush with a skirt," came Jerry's reply. "I don't believe she will change anything. I think that is bad for the country, and I am sick of all the fighting and I don't think she's going to stop that."

Gloomy polls

Mrs Clinton's problem is that she is a divisive, polarising figure in American politics. Plenty of people admire, even love her.

JOIN OUR VOTER PANEL We want to hear views from Iowa, New Hampshire and all the states taking part in 'Super Duper Tuesday' in 2008. This is your chance to write for the BBC News website on the election. Find out more here How the panel looked in 2004

Plenty of others loathe her. She is seen by them as an insider. Hardly the break with the past that so many you meet on the campaign trail say they want.

So just consider the latest survey from the Zogby polling organisation. It suggests that if Hillary Clinton were the Democratic candidate she would lose in a presidential election against each of the top five Republican candidates.

In the last week or so a number of other polls have also suggested that she is losing her lead - or has even lost it in some surveys - over her two main Democratic opponents, Barack Obama and John Edwards, in that crucial first state, Iowa.

Nationwide, though, Mrs Clinton still holds a powerful lead.

But even on Clinton home turf you find a desire for change.

In New York's Harlem district, 125th street is such a place.

Howard Cash likes Hillary - but prefers Barack Obama

Recently Barack Obama was appearing at the famous Apollo Theatre there. His name was up in lights outside, as a fierce Atlantic wind chilled the queue of people waiting to get in to see Hillary Clinton's closest rival.

On the pavement Howard T. Cash was selling Obama badges. He told me he supports the man vying to be the first black president of the United States.

Why not Hillary? I wondered.

"I've got nothing against Hillary," he told me. "But America needs a change, and I think he's the man to give that."

That may be what a lot of people are thinking, but for now Hillary Clinton is still the person to beat.