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Clinton widens lead in Democratic poll

Hillary Clinton - Favourite in poll
Hillary Clinton - Favourite in poll

Hillary Clinton has further widened her lead over Illinois Senator Barack Obama in her attempt to secure the Democratic Party's nomination for the 2008 presidential race.

The USA Today/Gallup poll shows the New York Senator at 48%, up 8% from a similar poll three weeks ago, and Mr Obama at 26%, down two points. Third is former North Carolina senator John Edwards, with 12%.

The survey was carried out after an exchange between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama over foreign policy.

A smaller sub-sample of the poll, asking who would do a better job in certain foreign policy realms, showed a strong lead across the board for Ms Clinton.

60% surveyed said she would do a better job handling international terrorism and 56% said she would be better in the role of commander-in-chief of the military than Mr Obama.

In questions about the war in Iraq and relations with countries unfriendly to the United States, Hillary Clinton came out with a 20-27 point lead over Mr Obama.

Among Republicans, the poll showed former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani ahead, as he has been for months, at 33%.

Second is a man who has not formally declared his intention to run, TV actor and former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson, with 21%, followed by Arizona Senator John McCain with 16% and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney with 8%.