Sweet blog special: "I'm Hillary Clinton and I am so happy to be here in Iowa." Report 3.

DES MOINES, IA.The candidate entered the packed high school gym to Right Here, Right Now by Jesus Jones.

The candidate. You know her.

Well, Im Hillary Clinton and I am so happy to be here in Iowa, she said.

With that Clinton started the first public event of her week old 2008 Democratic presidential primary campaign. Some 1,000 people. Well staged. Each person got a Im in to win button and a Hillary bumber sticker. Audience friendly.

Very receptive. No hostile questions. The roughest part of the day so far is the video of her singing the National Anthem sprinting through the web proving she cant carry a tune. (When it comes to singing, Ive heard Obama croon–at the March, 2006 Gridiron–and he has a velvet voice. If the Democratic presidental primary was run by the “American Idol” producers, Obama would clinch.)

Interesting to note: Clinton did not take advantage of a question about sending 21,000 more troops to Iraq to talk about the Iraq warher vote for the war is her possible Archilles heal in Iowa. (see pool report in previous blog for comments Clinton made about Iraq at an earlier event.)

Instead, she used to the question to talk about veteran benefits.

She made much about being a woman candidate.

To Now I know there are people who either say or wonder would we ever elect a woman as president … Im going to try.

And

Think of what it felt like when you saw Nancy Pelosi become Speaker of the House.

Clinton said that when it comes to females running you have to “work even harder and I am prepared to do that.”