Hillary Clinton back in Iowa for 1st time since 2008

DES MOINES - Hillary Rodham Clinton returns to Iowa this weekend for the first time since her devastating loss in the 2008 presidential caucuses, arriving as the undeclared frontrunner for the 2016 Democratic nomination but still trailed by criticisms about her first campaign here.

The former US secretary of state and her husband, former president Bill Clinton, will be in Iowa for Democratic Senator Tom Harkin's annual steak fry Sunday. But if the ostensible purpose of her visit is to pay tribute to Harkin - who is retiring after 40 years of elective office in Washington - she will not escape from the speculation that this is simply one more step toward a formal presidential campaign.

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At a minimum, it will mark her initial foray on the campaign trail for this fall's midterm elections.

''I don't expect her to talk about her future decisions,'' said Harkin's wife, Ruth, who is a longtime Hillary Clinton supporter. ''They're going to be announced next year. But this is a very significant moment for her to greet Iowa voters.''

Clinton's 2008 effort in Iowa was plagued by startup problems and affected by the overall dysfunction of her campaign team. By the time she corrected her course, Barack Obama had moved ahead of her.

But it was more than staff problems that hurt Clinton here in 2008. As a candidate, she often chafed at the demands of the caucus process, including the time required to court individual activists across the state. She disliked traveling too far from Des Moines and certain friendly hotels.

Added to that are questions raised by this summer's book tour about whether her campaign instincts have dulled. Clinton's time since leaving the Senate has been devoted to foreign policy discussions inside the administration, interaction with world leaders, and more than a year of lucrative speechmaking as a private citizen - rather than being in more regular contact with everyday Americans.

At this point, Clinton has no strong challenger in Iowa, for her a welcome contrast to eight years ago when she faced then-Senator Obama and a well-entrenched John Edwards, the party's 2004 vice presidential nominee.

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