Beyond the Poll Numbers, Voter Doubts About Clinton

Polls show Sen. Hillary Clinton as the leading Democratic presidential choice. (By Jay Laprete -- Bloomberg News)

Valerie Herzig, 42, an independent from California who leans Democratic, said in the survey that she has an unfavorable view of Clinton, largely because she doesn't have a feel for her. "You hear a lot about her, but you don't hear from her," Herzig said in an interview. "My impression when she was 'Mrs. Clinton' was that she was the driver in the family. . . . But I have no idea what she's been doing for the past five years."

The intense curiosity about Clinton -- as well as the challenge she faces in supplying politically salable answers -- is not new. In her Arkansas and White House years, she at times eschewed the traditional images of the political wife, initially not taking the Clinton name, pursuing her legal career and, on the campaign trail in 1992, offending some with remarks that they interpreted as disparaging to women who stay at home and bake cookies.

At the same time, her fame and influence were derived from her marriage, causing some to question her motives when she lashed out at Bill Clinton's accusers and stayed with him through a public acknowledgment of infidelity.

The public has long been conflicted about her, softening during her most vulnerable periods. She was widely reviled for her efforts to reform health care in 1995, yet embraced a few years later during the Lewinsky scandal.

Even her physical appearance was long unsettled. First ladies generally show up at the White House with a dependable style, but Clinton routinely changed hers. Only in recent years has she put forth a fairly reliable professional look, almost always wearing pantsuits and keeping her hair short and blond.

But some voters wonder what is behind this controlled persona. "I was just talking to my friends about this," said Jeny Guy, 55, a registered independent from Falls Church, who expressed a "favorable" view of Clinton but said she would not vote for her. "I find her too stiff and packaged."

"I guess she would do a good job, but I just don't think she can get the votes," said Julie Troy of Michigan, who describes herself as an independent and a liberal but says she definitely would not vote for Clinton. "I find that men don't like her and that's a problem. . . . I don't think we're ready for her."

Those close to her say that she is engaging, kind and funny among friends but that she opens the door to just a handful of intimates who have a long history with her.

"She will define herself, and we will have the money to do it," said one close adviser, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because Clinton has forbidden those close to her to speculate publicly about 2008. "People have to get to know her, know that she was once a Republican, that she's a big Methodist. . . . That will happen."

Assistant polling director Claudia Deane and research editor Lucy Shackelford contributed to this report.