Be Mine, Hillary And Barack

Bill Clinton might not be the only one sending a heart-shaped box of chocolates to Hillary Clinton this Valentine's Day. That's because the National Confectioners Association finds that she tops a poll of who Americans are sweet for. They say that of all the candidates, 18 percent would like to give her their support and a box of chocolates. Fellow Democrats Barack Obama and John Edwards, who withdrew from the race yesterday, are next at 14 and 6 percent, respectively, while Republican John McCain is at 5 percent. There's some irony: McCain is the only chocolate freak, with aides describing him as a fiend for those bite-size Snickers.

Other details in the poll provided to Whispers: One in 10 Republicans favored Obama as their top choice over a Republican candidate.

About 1 in 5 younger voters had the biggest crush on Obama, choosing to show their support by giving him a box of chocolates.

By Paul Bedard