EON

Washington – Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) did not make a grand entrance to the podium Saturday at the YearlyKos Convention, but the bloggers, activists and perhaps skeptics cheered her as she walked on stage.

While the other five Democratic candidates in attendance will meet in smaller groups after the Presidential Leadership Forum, Clinton met before the forum. She is headed shortly to fundraisers in the Hamptons.

This crowd, leery about her support of the war and her tendency to blur distinctions between liberal and conservative policies, showed no sign of displeasure. With some gentle humor and self-deprecation, Clinton put the room at ease.

“Don’t tell anyone, I actually read blogs,” Clinton started, noting that she did not always agree with everything written but she appreciated the energy and passion.

When the microphone appeared to fail for a second, she whispered, “It’s the vast right wing conspiracy.” The crowd cheered.

Clinton praised the blogosphere in her opening remarks, which lasted about 10 minutes.

She took five questions from a teacher, a scientist, a criminal defense lawyer, a blogger from San Francisco and a self-described researcher on education, FISA, gay rights, and infrastructure.

Thirty minutes into speaking and taking questions, Peter Dau, her campaign blogger, announced there would be time for only one more question. Not wasting a breath, Clinton said, “We’ll take two.”

She concluded her speech emphasizing that her candidacy is about change — the very theme on which Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has based his campaign. She credited the blogosphere: “It can play a major role in electing me president, in electing a dem president. I appreciate everything you’re doing, well almost everything.”

There was no hissing, no booing. Besides the applause, the loudest noise was the clickety-clack of the several dozen reporters and bloggers typing away during her speech.

Source: TheHIll