Sen. Clinton calls on Democrats to close internal rift

Jul. 26--COLUMBUS, Ohio -- With a moderate message and a call for a "cease-fire" between the Democratic Party's liberal and moderate factions, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton accepted a new leadership post yesterday with the Democratic Leadership Council, the centrist group that helped propel her husband to the presidency in 1992.

Clinton's increased involvement with the DLC -- the organization Bill Clinton used as a springboard to his national campaign when he was governor of Arkansas -- is the latest indication that she is seeking to build a moderate base for a possible run for the presidency in 2008.

At the DLC's annual convention in Columbus yesterday, the senator's address to about 300 state and local Democratic officials promised a return to the prosperity of the Bill Clinton presidency. Using imagery first conjured by her husband, she blasted Republicans, saying they are presiding over a sluggish economy and allowing the nation's image in the world to tarnish.

"They turned our bridge to the 21st century into a tunnel back to the 19th century," said Clinton, a New York Democrat. "The clear mission of a unified Democratic Party is to back us out of that Republican tunnel, fill it in, go back across the bridge, and get America back in the business of building dreams again."

Clinton will serve as chairwoman of the council's new "American Dream Initiative," where she'll lead a nationwide effort to generate fresh ideas for Democrats to bring to politics. Charged with developing an agenda for the DLC by next summer, she'll travel extensively and make contact with local business, labor, and civic leaders.

The leadership council's meeting drew a range of Democratic presidential aspirants, reflecting the importance many party leaders have placed on moderate voters following last year's electoral setbacks.

Clinton's speech followed addresses by Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana and Governor Tom Vilsack of Iowa -- the outgoing and incoming DLC chairmen -- and preceded an appearance by Governor Mark R. Warner of Virginia. All three are testing the waters for possible presidential runs.

But Clinton was the star of the show, and she quickly drew the brunt of GOP criticism. The Republican National Committee assembled a fact sheet to highlight her votes and policy positions, which they said placed Clinton well to the political left of the DLC, and organized a conference call for reporters.

"Senator Clinton is here today to reinvent herself," said Bob Bennett, chairman of the Ohio Republican Party. "It's not going to work. Her record and her rhetoric speak for itself."

He called the Democratic Party "the party of Howard Dean and Ted Kennedy," referring to the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, the senior senator from Massachusetts, and their reputations among conservatives as die-hard liberals.

Clinton of late has been trying to shed her own left-of-center image that stems in part from her drive to establish a national healthcare system early in her husband's first term. In recent months, she has teamed up with prominent conservatives such as former House speaker Newt Gingrich and Senate majority leader Bill Frist to push health-related legislation and has condemned the marketing of violent video games to children.

This month, Clinton called for adding 80,000 troops to the Army and pushed a Senate bid to expand healthcare for National Guard members who are deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Her increased attention to the armed services prompted a gibe yesterday from Bayh, who joked that he recently spied Clinton reading an issue of "Soldier of Fortune" magazine tucked inside a copy of the Congressional Record.

Clinton sounded distinctly moderate notes in yesterday's speech, calling for fiscal responsibility, an expansion of embryonic stem-cell research only after passing an "enforceable international ban" on human cloning, and the protection of children "from the excesses of the popular culture." She emphasized the importance of religious faith and policies that would limit the need for abortions.

"In my dream, our faith in God and our shared values give us the strength to conquer our fears of one another and the unknown," Clinton said. "As we ensure that women are able to make their own personal decisions about reproductive healthcare, we work together to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and abortions by promoting family planning and by strengthening our systems of adoption and foster care."

"I know we can do all these things because we've done them before," she added.

Addressing longstanding tensions between the party's liberal and moderate wings, Clinton said Democrats need to stop airing their differences publicly. The war in Iraq has been a continuing source of party discord, and a series of comments Dean recently made have also exposed internal rifts.

"Let's acknowledge that what separates us on occasion is but a tiny sliver in comparison to the Grand Canyon gap between us and the Republican Party," Clinton said. "I think it's high time for a cease-fire."

Clinton's speech drew praise from the elected officials in attendance, and some waited half an hour afterward to get a picture taken with her. Catherine Barrett, a state representative from Ohio, said the senator offered a compelling road map for Democrats.

"We need to come together, both the DLC and the DNC," Barrett said. "She had the perfect message. It's an excellent foundation to build upon."

-----

To see more of The Boston Globe, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.boston.com/globe.

Copyright (c) 2005, The Boston Globe

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.