Show i Clinton try unconventional stops in midwest and west Alec MacGillis Anne E. E Kornblut The Washington Post Sen Hillary Rodham Clinton D and Sen Barack D Ill sprinted across the West and Midwest on Saturday drawing thousands of voters who this week will have their first chance in years to cast a meaningful primary ballot Nothing suggested the lengths to which the candidates are going for a afew afew afew few extra delegates so much muchas as first destination Boise Idaho In one of the nations nation's most Republican and sparsely populated states he drew more than people to the Boise State University basketball arena nearly three times as many people as voted in the states state's Democratic caucus in 2004 They told me there weren't any Democrats in Idaho That's what they told me said I didn't believe them A few hours later drew an even bigger cr crowd wd in Minneapolis with an estimated filling the city's basketball arena He was scheduled to appear Saturday night at a St. St Louis rally Clinton campaigned in Los Angeles and was scheduled to appear in New Mexico and Arizona before she too ended the day in St. St Louis She also took an unconventional approach to voter outreach filming a special installment of the tabloid show Inside Edition a minute 45 roundtable with eight voters at a home in Inglewood Calif discussing the mortgage crisis AIDS prevention and the Iraq war When asked about Iraq Clinton portrayed the war as an issue that cannot be solved without a Democratic president And she challenged argument that only he would be able to take on Sen John McCain of Arizona the Republican runner front-runner strongly over the war because he opposed the war from the start If McCains McCain's the nominee were we're going to have a very vigorous debate she said I am not going to take a back seat to anybody when it comes to national security and defending our country but we have got to withdraw from Iraq And I intend to todo todo todo do that starting within 60 days stops in Idaho and Missouri on Saturday were designed to buttress his campaigns campaign's argument that he would draw Republican converts to the Democratic ticket in November He tailored his stump speech to emphasize partisan reconciliation even more strongly and he assured voters in Boise that he would not pursue aggressive gun control a subject he rarely raises on the stump The Clinton campaign and the Republican National Committee both noted afterward that said in 1996 when he was running for the state Senate that he supported banning the manufacture sale and possession of handguns in Illinois Those attending said they were grateful for the visit and stunned by the turnout Its amazing said Katie Sewell who works for the university Its the most Republican state in the country and look at this crowd It can sort of feel hopeless being here and not believing what the majority here does but this gives me hope got a boost in his fitful efforts to win over Latino voters in California with the endorsement of the states state's Spanish-language Spanish paper La Opinion |