GOP Ready To Hammer Hillary Clinton With Liberal Label

There will be no respite for Hillary Clinton overseas or anywhere else, as the Democratic presidential front-runner is emerging as more of a GOP target--and fundraising foil--than ever.

As soon as Clinton announced that her campaign had raised $27 million during the past three months--topping all contenders--Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan E-mailed a broadside to potential donors soliciting money to stop Clinton and her "liberal schemes."

GOP strategists are realizing that Clinton will be more formidable than they thought. One example: She is widely seen as a tough, strong leader, a trait that voters have found lacking in women candidates.

"Most women candidates have perception problems on the issues of competence, experience, and toughness," says a prominent GOP pollster. "She is in pretty good standing on these concerns," especially in her party.

A recent poll by the Pew Research Center found that 67 percent of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters see Clinton as "tough," and 52 percent consider her "smart." Where she runs into trouble is over whether she is too liberal, polarizing, and unlikable.

By Kenneth T. Walsh