'You Go Girl': Clinton Draws Packed House in Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa, Jan. 27, 2007 — -- Under banners proclaiming "Let the Conversation Begin!" a packed auditorium welcomed Sen. Hillary Clinton to Iowa.

"I'm running for president and I'm in it to win it!" Clinton, D-N.Y., said to a big round of applause.

The high school basketball gym was crammed to capacity. Campaign organizers said about 1,200 people were in the gymnasium, with 600 more in an overflow room down the hall.

Clinton began by echoing a message she's been refining over the past week -- that the American dream is busted.

"The promise of America is being undermined by bad decisions coming out of our government," she said.

Then she began what she called a "conversation" with the audience.

The first question out of the gate was about breaking the tradition of exclusively male presidents.

"Oh I expect there will probably be more stories about my clothes and hair than some of the people running against me," she quipped. "I've just accepted that."

"The fact that I'm a woman, the fact that I'm a mom, that's part of who I am," she added. "But I'm gonna ask people to vote for the person they believe will be the best president."

Most of the questions came from women and most centered on issues traditionally considered of interest to women.

Clinton was asked about health care, foster parenting and equal pay for women.

At times it felt more like an afternoon talk show than a political exchange. At one point a woman yelled out, "You go girl!"

Clinton laughed and responded: "You come with me!"

There was only one question from a veteran with a reference to the proposal to increase U.S. troops in Iraq.

Iraq is considered an Achilles heel for Clinton. She has never renounced her vote authorizing the invasion. In her answer at the town hall meeting, she avoided mentioning Iraq, and talked instead about veterans' benefits.

That bothered some in the room.

There was also criticism of Clinton at an anti-war protest just down the street.

Bruce Stone of Des Moines said, "We'd like to hear a definitive statement that she's opposed to the war."

Clinton hasn't visited Iowa since 2003, and some of her competitors have a running start.

"I think in the past Hillary's had the air of unapproachability," said Matt Kiernan, "that she knew it and nobody else needed to tell her."

Today, Clinton promised to listen to Iowa voters and return again and again.

"I intend to do it the old fashioned way, to come and talk to you and listen to you," she said. "Just you and me and about several hundred national press people."

But while she vowed to listen to Iowans, she promised Democratic Party activists earlier in the day not to let any opponent's criticism linger long without a response.

"When you are attacked, you have to deck your opponent," Clinton said. "I have been through the political wars longer than some of you have been alive. We've got to be prepared to hold our ground and fight back."