For the Clinton Candidacy, a Soft Launch

Arriving at Sunday's event more than half an hour later than planned, Clinton was, for all her understatedness, met with an explosion of flashbulbs and a crowd of bewildered families who had been invited to meet her.

Dozens of camera crews crammed the back of the overheated room. Japanese broadcasters did live shots from the crowd. Secret Service agents kept close watch as staff members corralled irritated photographers in a pen. Frantic members of the health center's staff tried to make room for the invited guests, who were pressed against the walls without seats. Small children squirmed and cried.

Two little girls, Olivia and Camilla Harden, were brought onstage as beneficiaries of the federal health-care system Clinton sought to promote. "You know, if there is any doubt in anyone's mind about why we need health insurance for every child, take a look at Camilla and her little sister Olivia," Clinton said, indicating the two playful girls.

Clinton announced that she and Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.) will sponsor legislation to expand the Children's Health Insurance Program to include more middle-class families. Invoking her daughter and husband, she said all parents should be able to give their children the comprehensive health care that she and Bill gave Chelsea.

Though it was her first appearance as a presidential candidate, the occasion was organized by her Senate staff and announced through her Senate office, suggesting that she will not run away from her perch but rather use it to her advantage. None of the numerous campaign staff members she has hired (not even Howard Wolfson, a New York-based consultant and a close adviser) was in evidence.

Nothing prohibits sitting lawmakers -- or presidents -- from campaigning in office, and taxpayer money can be used for travel and organizing as long as there is a reason related to their official duties.

If anything, Clinton seemed to be following the mold of her last Senate campaign, in which she worked methodically to raise money and build support. Throughout that campaign, which cost her more than $30 million to win 67 percent of New York, Clinton emphasized smaller appearances, especially upstate, appearing with groups of voters rather than at massive, flashy rallies.

Her event on Sunday felt like an extension of that campaign -- except for the context.