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Obama was not in the Senate at the time of the vote but said he opposed the war from the start. Now proposing a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq to be completed by the end of March 2008, Obama told reporters he was uncertain how Clinton intended to end the conflict.

“I am not clear to how she would proceed at this point to wind down the war in a specific way,” Obama said when asked to evaluate Clinton’s Iraq stance.

“I have tried to consistently present a responsible course of action that recognizes our national security interests in the region but would allow us to start redeploying our troops.”

Clinton came under pressure again on Saturday during a campaign trip through New Hampshire to explain her 2002 Senate vote.

“Knowing what we know now, I would never have voted for it,” she said. “I gave him (President George W. Bush) the authority to send inspectors back in to determine the truth. I said this is not a vote to authorize preemptive war.”

Asked later if she was trying to “have it both ways” by calling for the war’s end after voting to authorize it, she said, “I do not believe that most of us who voted to give the president authority thought he would so misuse the authority we gave him.”

Obama, a first-term senator from Illinois, has quickly jumped into the top tier of a crowded Democratic presidential field along with Clinton and Edwards.

His early opposition to the increasingly unpopular war is a centerpiece of his stump speech, drawing big cheers on a two-day swing through the state that traditionally kicks off the presidential nominating fight.

He told Iowa crowds over weekend they should demand a clear plan on how to end the war from all the Democratic candidates.

‘I’m proud of the fact that I was against this war from the start, I thought it was a tragic mistake,” Obama told about 200 people who jammed an early morning house party in Iowa Falls. “But I’m also proud of the fact that over the last two years, as I’ve been opposed to the war, I’ve also tried to put forward a constructive plan for us to wind it down.”

Obama also had a sharp response for Australian Prime Minister John Howard, a Bush ally who said Obama’s proposals would create chaos in the Middle East.

While New York Sen. Hillary Clinton remains the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, what would the race look like if — for whatever reason — she were no longer in the running? And without former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani in the nomination race, which fellow Republican would benefit most? To find out, a recent FOX News Poll on the 2008 presidential election asked voters not only about their top choice candidate, but also about who would be their second choice.

Democratic Primary Nomination

Overall, Sen. Clinton receives the backing of 43 percent of self-identified Democrats, compared with 15 percent for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, 12 percent for former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and 11 percent for former Vice President Al Gore. No other candidates reach double-digit support.

If Clinton were out of the running, the results show Obama would benefit the most, as his support increases by 15 percentage points — double his initial vote percentage. The support for Edwards and Gore also increases, with both capturing another 8 points without Clinton in the race.

“Most of the distribution is simply based on name recognition,” said Opinion Dynamics Chairman John Gorman. “Senator Clinton is one of the few candidates who has personal, strong support.”

Without Obama in the running, the only candidate who really benefits is Clinton. Her percent of the vote increases by 11 points, while Edwards and Gore each gain 2 points.

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Hillary Clinton is the early frontrunner among candidates in New Hampshire for the Democratic presidential nomination, and among Republicans, Arizona Sen. John McCain and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani are tied, according to a new Granite State poll.

Historically, the first primary in the nation, New Hampshire is seen as a bellwether for the nation’s presidential primaries and caucuses.

The poll, conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, interviewed 664 randomly selected New Hampshire likely primary voters by telephone between Thursday and Monday. Included in the sample were 353 likely 2008 Democratic voters and 311 likely 2008 Republican primary voters.

“Among likely Republican primary voters, Arizona Senator John McCain has consistently been the most popular, picking up where he left off in 2000,” the center said. But the latest results show Giuliani is now in “a dead heat with McCain.”

Smith said there is “some room for movement between now and the primary.”

“Giuliani and Obama are the wild cards – [they] could go up or plummet,” he said, noting that “McCain, Romney, Clinton and Edwards are all pretty seasoned.”

Smith said it “doesn’t look like there are any likely folks in the bottom tier who will bump up. Perhaps Newt, but he’s pretty unpopular among many Republicans.”

Clinton is scheduled to be in New Hampshire this weekend, and Obama will visit the state on Monday.

-Parts of this report were provided courtesy of CNSnews.com