Hillary Clinton Soft-pedals Immigration

Hillary Clinton could be among the Democratic Party's most likely candidates to win the 2008 elections. With a number of opinion polls released giving her top ratings—better in fact, than some of the other more senior, more experienced candidates in the race—America may have the first lady president in its history.

Her supporters say Clinton has what it takes to win: she is smart, exercises discipline, and, as even her detractors agree, she is tough. These credentials are sure to endear her to voters, especially women, who comprise over 54 percent of the electorate, and help them put behind the unsavory memories of Whitewater, Monica Lewinsky, and Travelgate.







What may run against Clinton is her own inability to be sure of what she wants. For instance, earlier in 2003, Clinton had made her strong stance against illegal immigrants public, saying, "I am, you know, adamantly against illegal immigrants". She had even suggested issuing national ID cards for citizens to counter the growing presence of illegal immigrants.

But since early 2006, it was a completely different story as Clinton pressed for citizenship for illegal immigrants in the country. She criticized the tough stand on immigration taken by certain Republicans, and their "one-sided solutions that simply sound tough". Instead, she advocated, the government needed to create a path to help hard working immigrants earn citizenship. The problem is, that a candidate who is so unsure of her own mind, is not likely to instill much faith in the electorate.