Hillary retains lead over Obama among Democrats

Washington: By a wide margin, Democrats view Senator Hillary Clinton of New York as the party's candidate best positioned to win the general election, and she holds a double-digit lead over Senator Barack Obama of Illinois in the race for the nomination, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News Poll.

How competitive the Democratic contest becomes could turn on the question of whether voters are more interested in a fresh face or in a candidate they see as projecting strong leadership. Clinton enjoys a substantial edge over Obama among the 4 in 10 Democrats who said that, in assessing presidential candidates, strength and experience are more important than new ideas or a new direction.

Even among the 51 per cent who prefer a change-oriented candidate, the core message of Obama's campaign, Clinton runs even with him.

It may be equally important that Clinton's initial support for the Iraq war is not proving a significant impediment to her bid. Clinton has drawn criticism this year for refusing to apologise for her 2002 vote authorising the use of force, but the poll shows her leading among Democrats who support a deadline for withdrawing US forces as well as those who oppose a deadline.

She has a 51 per cent to 29 per cent lead over Obama among those in favour of a complete, immediate withdrawal.

Obama has sought to make his initial opposition to the war an asset in his campaign, but Clinton has become increasingly more vocal in criticising President Bush's management of the war and now supports a timetable for the start of troop withdrawals.

Fourth debate

The poll came even as Democrats were assembling in Charleston, South Carolina, for their fourth debate of the year yesterday night.

The two-hour debate, sponsored by CNN and YouTube, will feature questions posted on YouTube, a video-sharing site, by people from around the country in what is likely to be one of the most innovative debate formats to date.