Hillary courts centrists

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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday said the nation has "gone off track" in Republican hands since the prosperous years of her husband's presidency, making her case along with other potential 2008 Democratic candidates to a group that helped Bill Clinton win the White House.

Speaking to the Democratic Leadership Council, Mrs. Clinton, New York Democrat, said the party must adopt a hard line on national security and back an increase in troop strength, echoing the centrist group's stance. She also called for expanded health care, increased jobs, better education and an end to fissures within the party.

"It's high time for a cease-fire. It's time for all Democrats to work together," said Mrs. Clinton, whose core message was a need for Democratic solidarity.

"After four years of Republican control, our country has not only gone off track, it has reversed course," she said. "Let's start by uniting against the hard-right ideology."

Mrs. Clinton talked tough on combating terrorism, calling for "a unified, coherent strategy focused on eliminating terrorists wherever we find them" while arguing that more can be done to bring other nations into the fight.

The speech was coupled with the announcement that Mrs. Clinton had been chosen to head the DLC's "American Dream Initiative," described by the organization as a national conversation with business, political, labor, civic and intellectual leaders on an agenda for the country and party.

The chairmanship will allow Mrs. Clinton to travel the country next year, when she is seeking another term in the Senate. The job will be an opportunity to burnish an already high-profile image that frequently energizes Democrats while also helping anti-Clinton Republicans raise campaign cash.

Among other possible 2008 candidates, Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack assumed the chairmanship of the DLC, and Virginia Gov. Mark Warner and Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh spent the weekend courting activists before delivering speeches yesterday at the group's annual meeting.

• Mr. Vilsack said Democrats must have "a positive, progressive, practical agenda. We can't afford to be anti, against everything."

• Mr. Warner made a pitch for expanding the Democratic electoral map. He said, "I am here today to tell you how important the heartland strategy is for the Democratic Party and the future of the country. ... We as Democrats neglect the heartland at our own peril."

• Mr. Bayh said the party's future lies in the Midwest: "Our success as a party will largely be determined by how well we do here in the heartland."

Mr. Bayh described Mrs. Clinton as a "very strong front-runner" for the Democratic nomination three years from now. Polls show the same thing, though there also are many voters who have a negative view of the former first lady.

Mrs. Clinton's speech also focused on domestic issues and improving the lot of average Americans, harking back to her husband's presidency.

"I know we can do all this because we've done it before," she told the nearly 400 activists gathered for the DLC's annual meeting.

Mrs. Clinton has taken a course toward the political center as the speculation about 2008 has grown.

In January, she used an appearance before pro-choice advocates to call for "common ground" on the issue and recently joined with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Georgia Republican, to push for health care legislation, such as a single system for medical billing that all insurers and providers would use to save time and money.

In a nod to the political calendar, Pat Gerard, vice mayor of Largo, Fla., said a lot can happen between now and 2008.

"Star power doesn't always mean everything," Mr. Gerard said. The early star gets the most criticism, he noted.