Democrats Suggest Hillary Clinton Return to Senate for Leadership Role

From the Whitehouse Bulletin A quiet campaign is building among Senate aides and Democratic political strategists to find a key leadership role in the chamber that could be offered Sen. Hillary Clinton should she decide to drop out of the presidential race. The effort is different than previous suggestions that she return to run for a top leadership role, in part because none of the top leaders are planning to step aside. Unclear is just what role she would be offered. It does not look like a chairmanship would be offered to any full committee, but an opening could change that. The insiders are just beginning the effort, believing that her days on the campaign trail are numbered as Sen. Barack Obama picks up more delegates and finds money much easier to raise. Some Democrats, meanwhile, are describing her campaign situation as one similar to a hostage situation where she knows that she will have to give up eventually, but is holding out for the best deal.

More Of The Public Now Considers Clinton Untrustworthy -
From The Frontrunner The Wall Street Journal (4/1, Chozick) reports Sen. Hillary Clinton "is losing ground in her effort to convince voters that she is trustworthy. The debate over her record has left Sen. Clinton confronting her lowest approval rating since April 2006, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll1 released last week. According to the survey, 29% of the approximately 1,000 respondents said they had a very negative opinion of Sen. Clinton compared with 15% for Sen. Barack Obama and 12% for Sen. John McCain." A Pew Research survey released last week "shows 29% of Democratic voters describe Sen. Clinton as 'phony,' compared with 14% for Sen. Obama."

Clinton Campaign Going Broke
The Chicago Tribune (4/1, Pearson, Silva,) notes Clinton's campaign ended February with more than $8.7 million in debts during a period in which she loaned her effort $5 million, federal records show." Clinton "listed having nearly $300,000 in unpaid invoices from health insurance firms that cover her staff. Her campaign also listed owing $3,161 to her Park Ridge alma mater, Maine South High School, where her campaign held an event on Feb. 4, the day before the Illinois primary." Jay Carson, a Clinton campaign spokesman, "said many of the debts were simply matters of paperwork and timing, explaining that invoices the campaign had not paid as of the end of February must be listed as debt, even if they arrived the last day of the reporting period."

Dionne Claims Clinton "Brand" Has Been Tarnished.
The Washington Post's E. J. Dionne (4/1, A17) writes, "For all Democrats, the worst thing that has happened since January is the tarnishing of the Clinton brand. Clinton haters: Don't laugh. The truth is that when this whole thing began, the vast majority of Democrats -- including Obama supporters -- and a fair number of independents had largely positive views of Bill Clinton's record and Hillary Clinton's merits."