Hillary Clinton sizzles in Iowa, sets off president race talks

WASHINGTON: "Hello, Iowa! I'm baaack!" were Hillary Clinton's opening words at the Harkin Steak Fry, an annual party fundraiser hosted by veteran Iowa Democratic senator Tom Harkin.

It was her first visit to Iowa since finishing third in the state's caucuses nearly seven years ago when she eventually lost the Democratic presidential nomination to a (then) unlikely eventual winner Barack Obama, but the words were so loaded that they electrified the country's political circuit, which saw it as a veiled decla ration that she'll run for the White House in 2016. Igniting even more speculation, Clinton told a few thousand supporters that she has a few things on her mind these days.

"Bill and I are on constant grandchild watch," she said, referring to their daughter Chelsea's pregnancy. "And then there's that other thing." The other thing, the world and its uncles know, is whether she will run again. An enigmatic, "It's true! I'm thinking about it!" was all she would say.

She ended with another tease, "It's really great to be back.

Let's not let another seven years go by." Washington pundits worked themselves into a lather taking it to mean she's throwing her hat in the ring, and only a formal announce ment needs to be made.

In a recent public event, Clinton said she would be making a decision whether to run on not by New Year's Day.

A plethora of "Ready for Hillary" buttons, T-shirts, and bumper stickers at the event suggested the party rank and file is rooting for her.

If Hillary does run, she is considered a shoo-in for the Democratic nomination. Her likely opponents will be vicepresident Joe Biden and Maryland government Martin O'Malley, among others. A CNN survey showed that 53% of Iowa's Democrats, who will tee off the race, favoured Hillary Clinton for the nomination. Biden was a distant second, at 15%. Also distant were memories of her rout in 2007.