.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} Oskaloosa – Dressed in a shocking-pink sweater set and her typical slacks with sensible black loafers, a smiling former first lady Hillary Clinton took the stage and flawlessly reeled off a long list of promises and plans as “the next president of the United States.”

In a matter of minutes, the U.S. senator from New York reminded the large crowd of mostly older, white, rural voters – and the pack of press following her – that she is an accomplished policy expert and can hold her own against any of her tough male contenders.

For the better part of this year, Clinton has run a flawless campaign, performing brilliantly during the numerous televised candidate debates, crunching out policy statements and de-tailed plans that have been the hallmark of her senatorial career, and capturing giant leads in the state and national polls. However, not all has gone according to plan.

Dubbed the “in-evitable” Democratic presidential nominee, Clinton and her campaign committed blunders in the final weeks before the Iowa caucuses that have resulted in a drop in the polls and made this a tight three way race between her, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.

Though she doesn’t have Edwards’ fire and populist message or Obama’s charisma and change-agent status, what Clinton does have – in spades – is the irrepressible, professional and sure-footed bearing of a seasoned politician who could become this country’s first female president.

Clinton and her campaign machine have garnered many of the traditional party-base endorsements from both politicians and unions, not to mention feminist organizations like EMILY’s List, which is working in Iowa to elect the first female president.

I’ve observed her since 1991, when she first campaigned for her husband, Bill, who began his startling rise to the White House in the Hawkeye State (coming in far behind favorite son Sen. Tom Harkin and also behind the late Massachusetts Sen. Paul Tsongas), and she definitely has improved as a retail politician.

She can be warm, appealing and funny, stumbling only when she lets loose the now infamous “Clinton cackle” that seemingly covers up a brittle and bitter side of her personality.

Other candidates have complained that this Clinton campaign has unleashed its “dark arts” through dirty tricks and personal attacks, all of which have been documented in the newspapers, political television shows and Internet blogs.

Generally, though, the public face of Sen. Clinton is sunny, optimistic and as smooth as silk on the campaign trail, working the crowds, posing for photographs and pumping up her sagging poll numbers by bringing in Bill Clinton – still a wildly popular figure among Democrats in Iowa and elsewhere around the country.

Unlike other presidential candidates from both parties, Hillary Clinton never agreed to a one-on-one interview with the Des Moines Business Record despite numerous requests.

Clinton’s campaign didn’t allow many press availabilities or interviews except with the largest newspapers and television stations. However, the candidate did answer several of our readers’ questions with her comments during her numerous stump speeches in Iowa and in policy statements:

J. Barry Griswell, CEO of Principal Financial Group Inc. , wanted to know Sen. Clinton’s prescription for solving the immigration issue, especially for states like Iowa that need a new influx of employees to meet the needs of a growing economy and a dwindling native work force.

Clinton: Our immigration system is in crisis. The laws we currently have on the books aren’t adequate and don’t serve our country’s best interests. We need a comprehensive immigration reform that strengthens our borders, engenders better cooperation with our neighbors, strictly enforces our laws and provides a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. I’ve advocated for policies that help the transition of legal immigrants once they arrive in the U.S. so that they can add to our economy and culture. Immigration reform will be a top priority in my administration.

Scott Noah, a small business owner in Des Moines, wanted to know what Sen. Clinton would do to make health care both more affordable and more accessible:

Clinton: Small businesses are the engine of new job growth in the U.S. economy but face challenges when it comes to providing health care for their employees. I’d give tax credits to small businesses that provide health care to workers to help defray their coverage costs. This will make small businesses more competitive and help create good jobs with health benefits that will stay here in the U.S.

My plan would cover all Americans and improve health care by lowering costs and improving quality. It puts the consumer in the driver’s seat by offering more choices and lowering costs. For those millions of Americans without coverage, or if you don’t like the coverage you have, you’ll have a choice of plans to choose from and that coverage will be affordable. If you like the plan you have, you can keep it. There won’t be any discrimination based on pre-existing conditions. It’s portable. If you change or lose your job, you can keep your health care.

Steve Zumbach, an attorney and community leader, was interested in how Sen. Clinton would restore a balanced federal budget.

Clinton: We need to restore fiscal responsibility to government, and that means balancing the budget; saving Social Security, reducing our dependence on foreign creditors, returning high-income tax rates to the 1990s level, reforming the AMT (alternative minimum tax) and ensuring that corporations pay their fair share of taxes. I’ll rescind the Bush tax cuts for the richest in America – that’s one of the first things I’ll do as president.

Gayle Collins, a Des Moines commercial real estate agent, asked how Clinton would end the war in Iraq.

Clinton: I have a three-step plan that would bring our troops home, bring stability to the region and replace military force with a new diplomatic strategy to engage countries around the world in securing Iraq’s future. It starts with my first day in office: end our military engagement in Iraq’s civil war and immediately start bringing our troops home. As our troops leave Iraq, we’d organize a multibillion-dollar international effort to address the needs of the Iraqi refugees.

Bill Van Orsdel, a retired businessman who is involved in several environmental groups in the state, wanted to know where Sen. Clinton stood on global warming, especially assuring water quality and quantity in agricultural states like Iowa.

Clinton: My plan promotes energy independence, addresses global warming and transforms our economy. Clean water is one part of a new energy plan to address America’s energy and environmental challenges that will establish a green, efficient economy and create millions of new jobs.

My plan is centered on a cap and trade system for carbon emissions, stronger energy and automobile efficiency standards and a significant increase in green research funding. It will reduce America’s reliance on foreign oil and address the looming climate crisis by setting targets that reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050 to avoid the worst effects of global warming and cut foreign oil imports by two-thirds from 2030 projected levels, more than 10 million barrels of oil per day. Increasing fuel efficiency standards to 55 miles per gallon by 2030 would also help automakers retool their production plants through $20 billion in “Green Vehicle Bonds.”

Despite Sen. Clinton’s high “unfavorable” numbers with independent and Republican voters, no committed Democrat I’ve spoken with in the last six months wouldn’t vote for her if she became the nominee. She still could achieve that goal – if she can leave Iowa with one of the top three tickets out of the caucuses.