Clinton Unbowed By Third-Place Finish

Democratic Presidential Hopeful Hails "Great Night For Democrats"

(CBS/AP)  Democrat Hillary Clinton, claiming to be unbowed by a third-place finish in the Iowa Democratic caucuses, hailed a "great night for Democrats" and said the strong turnout pointed to the sure election of a Democratic president in November. She said she would "keep pushing as hard as we can."

But her poor showing here was a searing blow to the former first lady, dissolving her image as her party's inevitable nominee and setting up a critical five-day race to Tuesday's leadoff primary in New Hampshire.

"For Hillary Clinton, the party's former front-runner, Iowa delivered a crushing blow, but not a knock-out," writes CBSNews.com senior political editor Vaughn Ververs. (Read Ververs' full analysis here.)

Clinton told cheering supporters that she had congratulated caucus winner Sen. Barack Obama and the second-place finisher, former Sen. John Edwards. She promised to take "this enthusiasm and go tonight to New Hampshire."

"We're going to keep pushing as hard as we can," she said, with former President Bill Clinton and their daughter Chelsea at her side. "I am so ready for the rest of this campaign and I am so ready to lead."

Iowa Democrats delivered a cautionary tale to the New York senator, an established figure on the public stage who is running to be the first woman president.

Caucus goers appeared to reject the central premise of Clinton's candidacy, favoring Obama's message of hope and change over her theme of experience and leadership.

More troubling still was her performance among key groups that had been expected to form the core of her support.

Entrance polls in the state showed Obama narrowly beating Clinton among women voters, whom her campaign had expected to turn out in large numbers to support her pioneering quest. She also failed to win a majority of voters who called health care their chief concern, despite her long association with the issue.

Her candidacy also was swamped by a surge of first-time caucus goers who soundly supported Obama. Projections showed a turnout of 230,000 for Democrats, compared to 124,000 who showed up for Democratic caucuses in 2004. The turnout was nearly twice as large as for the Republicans, whose turnout also was up from four years ago.

Clinton stuck with familiar themes in her concession speech, telling supporters she felt confident New Hampshire voters would choose a candidate "who will be able to go the distance and who will be ready on Day One."

She was flying to New Hampshire late Thursday night and planned to attend a campaign rally with her husband Friday morning. All the remaining Democratic contenders were to meet in a nationally televised debate Saturday.

[sjc_1]

Edwards/Obama would be a great ticket. It would put two very strong halves together to beat the Repugs.

[libra127]

Hillary is the most intelligent person running for President and has been an excellent Senator for New York. She was easily re-elected to office in New York. She could be a great leader for this country at a time when we desperately need such leadership. Go Hillary !!

[facts6]

""Sam"": ""redeem the Clinton legacy and to stick it to the people who dragged them through the mud""
Wow!I had never considered that! That would be their prime motivator. Remember the travel office firing? Those poor people spent their life''s savings defending themselves against her false charges.

[ljvostro]

People please wake up. Judge candidates on ISSUES and not on fables you are spoon fed by media owned and financed by corporate America which profits from globalization and shipping US jobs overseas. Restore The Republic - Say YES to Limited Constitutional Government - End the War on Drugs - End The IRS - End the Federal Reserve - Say YES to Liberty - Say YES to Freedom - Say Yes to Individual Responsibility! - Say NO to policing the world. End unnecessary and useless war in Iraq where our brave soldiers are dying for NOTHING! Say YES To Ron Paul and We The People!!! Go to ISSUEs tab on his web site. God Bless you.

[demwatcher]

"bobmarisol - I was going to take apart your Bushit statement line by line, but you''''re just not worth the time. You''''re an idiot.

Posted by USBrit at 06:03 PM : Jan 04, 2008"

Typical lib playing card. if you can''t beat it, call it names.

I challenge you to prove yourself and disprove his statements.

Here were the items:

1. lower taxes
2. no terror attacks on USA soil since 9/11
3. over 2/3 of Al Queda leadership killed or captured
4. 50 million people liberated from oppressive regimes
5. unemployment at an all-time low

Lets see YOUR facts, dude.

[usbrit-2009]

I wouldn''''t be surprised if the Democratic ticket wound up being Edwards/Obama. I will be very surprised if Clinton is still in politics next year.

Posted by random_radar

Interesting thought. The one strike against Barak is lack of experience - 8 years apprenticeship as VP would set him up perfectly for 2016. The original thought was clinton/obama but I think Edwards/Obama might just be the ticket.

bobmarisol - I was going to take apart your Bushit statement line by line, but you''re just not worth the time. You''re an idiot.

[random_radar]

Pundits act like the big story is that Clinton lost to Obama. Its not. The big story is that Clinton lost to Edwards.

I promise you that Edwards is going to be the man to beat in the Democratic race. Obama will make a good showing in some states, but over the long haul, its going to be Edwards.

I wouldn''t be surprised if the Democratic ticket wound up being Edwards/Obama. I will be very surprised if Clinton is still in politics next year.

[one_american]

Hillary''s new slogan:

"Ready to Chance, Ready to Leap".

[heresmy2cent]

Iowan''s showed that Hillary Clinton is a solution to a non-existent problem.

Americans don''t need or want her "experience."

America needs radical change to put this country back on the right track.

[infidel_us]

Can anybody name anything that Hillary has ever accomplished that bettered America? anybody?"
Posted by bobmarisol
Posted by SamTheTVCat at 03:44 PM : Jan 04, 2008

I can think of a few things she and Billery did that BATTERED America.

[infidel_us]

Soemthing''''s up because Hillary''''s got all this support from the media, big business, establishment politicians, and the rest of us seem to wish she''''d just go away :o
Posted by SamTheTVCat at 03:40 PM : Jan 04, 2008

Oh yeah, the guy who runs CBS news is a BIG Clinton supporter. Look it up. It''s a proven fact that the LAMEstream media is biased to the left.

[samthetvcat]

"She was trying to do good things for this country even when she didn''t HOLD an office!
Posted by RowdyTexan2

Can anybody name anything that Hillary has ever accomplished that bettered America? anybody?"
Posted by bobmarisol

Exactly - ''tried'' SO does not equal ''accomplished''.

[samthetvcat]

For Romney, CBS describes it as a ''crushing defeat'' in Iowa. For Hillary, it''''s a ''poor showing.''
Posted by Infidel_Us

Hillary''s a beast who refuses to expire; Romney''s actually viable - so yeah, I reluctantly admit you have a point.

I don''t tend buy into most conspiracy theories, but I pointed out at the start of this comment section how Billary seem to have this second agenda of seeking vengeance against those who have sought to disenfranchise and belittle them, and that their base largely share this thirst. The media for the most part doesn''t fit into this profile.

But if you listened to Hillary talk about what to do about Pakistan she talks about believing the way to gain influence with a population is to cultivate the ''elites'' of a society - who did she specify again? The ''business elites'', the ''governing elites'' the ''media elites''...has she been cultivating the media?

I just can''t put my finger on why Wolf Blitzer would be so pro-Hillary otherwise. There must be something going on behind the scenes - some special attention (''How''s your family Wolf? I remember you mentioning the last time we talked that your daughter was blah blah blah...I don''t normally grant interviews like this, but because it''s you...'').

Soemthing''s up because Hillary''s got all this support from the media, big business, establishment politicians, and the rest of us seem to wish she''d just go away :o

[bobmarisol]

I know that she TRIED with the Health Plan.... at LEAST she cared enough to TRY! What have the fascist in power now, what did the LEADERS of those fascist do in the 6 years THEY were in power? I know she was a very close advisor to one of our BEST Presidents. She stuck by him when he was beening pursued for things that DID NOT belong in the public... That, when you enemy is within a civil war of a Nuke is PLENTY for me. I know that she and Bill CAN talk to the rest of the world... that''''s very important to me right now.... Bin Laden IS recruiting in Europe as we speak.
Posted by skyk at 03:10 PM : Jan 04, 2008


Skyk -- do America a favor -- never vote again until you read more and get informed. Someone who ''TRIED'' to accomplish something and failed does not deserve to be President. Thousands of people try things everyday and fail -- what makes someone qualified to be President is their ability to produce RESULTS. You ask what Bush has accomplished in his six years -- here are his RESULTS -- lower taxes, no terror attacks on USA soil since 9/11, over 2/3 of Al Queda leadership killed or captured, 50 million people liberated from oppressive regimes, unemployment at an all-time low, and more. Of course Bush has made mistakes, but his successes well surpass his failures. But Hillary only has failures on her record -- no successes -- thus no right to be President.

[bobmarisol]

Can anybody name anything that Hillary has ever accomplished that bettered America? anybody?

[rowdytexan2]

Posted by SamTheTVCat at 03:22 PM : Jan 04, 2008

Have you even gone and READ her record? Apparently NOT! She was trying to do good things for this country even when she didn''t HOLD an office!

She could''ve stayed home and picked out new china for the White House like Nancy did!

[rowdytexan2]

Posted by jack3213 at 08:53 AM : Jan 04, 2008

Talk about the blind leading the blind! YOU people elected George Bush TWICE!!! Even after you knew he was lying scum! How dare you even tweet at the Clintons!

[samthetvcat]

"Not always famous cases, that get the limelight--but I do not doubt her credentials for being a social activist or championing the downtrodden--she has proven herself at such a level---you or anyone else would be hard pressed to match."
Posted by b-easy63

Nobody cares that she''s tough, supports causes, and is a work horse - people want to know what she''s actually ACCOMPLISHED.

Barack has run on a platform that he is an independent who believes special interests are corrupting the system. To that end, he''s passed ethics reforms in both the Illinois State Senate and the US Senate.

I think if Hillary is going to run on a platform being an ''experienced'' advocate for ''change'' then she needs to put the meat on those bones and provide examples from her past which back up her claims.

[b-easy63]

As formidable as her credentials are--did anyone in her camp consider that she''d make one helluva Chief of Staff for the White House. Not that I think Obama has much of a chance--but in a way, I am looking at him in a way I dared not to--before Iowa. The biggest problem with Obama is his race not his lack of experience. I fear if he is elected, that skin color will be more of a dividing issue (look at where we have fallen in the past 8 years since Colin Powell and Rice were appointed to their offices--made no difference or it exacerbated racial hatred and actions)I also fear there is a good chance their will be attempts on his life and that such attempts will come from the ''good ol'' boy '' part of the sector--not from terrorists. Or at least not from foreign terrorists. We do not need distractions of any sort in the government. the mess is huge enough to clean up without worrying about attacks on ourselves from our own citizens.

[gunownerdan]

Hitlery should just give it up now. There''s no room for more warmongering fascists.