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Dems back Hillary despite war stand

BY GLENN THRUSH | Newsday Washington Bureau

September 9, 2006

WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's support of the Iraq war isn't popular with her party's left wing, but an overwhelming majority of New York Democrats back her re-election bid and fewer than a quarter think she's too pro-war, a Newsday/NY1 News poll shows.

Clinton, who has raised $45 million for her re-election bid despite the absence of a viable challenger, trounces peace Democrat Jonathan Tasini 84 to 11 percent, according to the survey of 934 registered Democrats conducted Sept. 4-7 by pollsters Blum & Weprin Associates.

But the really good news for Clinton is that Democratic voters - even those in the liberal bastion of New York - aren't taking her to task for her continued support of the war. Only 24 percent of registered Democrats said Clinton was "too supportive of the war," while 53 percent described her position as "just about right."

"I understand her position. She's trying to find a position in the center," said Vietnam veteran Joseph Kanner, 60, of Old Bethpage, who agrees with Clinton's stance. "That opens her for attacks from the left wing and from the right wing ... It's a hard issue."

Clinton voted for the October 2002 resolution authorizing the invasion of Iraq, but has joined the chorus of Democrats demanding Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's resignation. She has resisted calls by some to set a "date certain" when all U.S. troops should be pulled out of the country, but believes a pullout should begin by year's end.

Meanwhile, neither of the Republicans facing off in Tuesday's primary have generated much enthusiasm among their party's voters, according to poll results. John Spencer, a former Yonkers mayor, held a 39 percent to 17 percent lead over Kathleen "K.T." McFarland, who worked at the Reagan Pentagon.

But five days before the primary, a whopping 44 percent of voters were still undecided.

Thomas Ackley, 58, a registered Republican from Hudson Falls near Lake George, said he would vote for McFarland. "I believe that she'd probably do a better job," he said. "I can't really explain it. I like the way she comes across."

Staff writer Michael Rothfeld contributed to this story.

NY/1 NEWSDAY POLL

U.S. SENATE

Democrats

Hillary Clinton 84%

Jonathan Tasini 11%

Republicans

John Spencer 39%

KT McFarland 17%

Not sure 44%