"Hillary Clinton spent about 90 minutes responding to students’ questions Monday in professor Larry J. Sabato’s American politics class at the University of Virginia, offering her views about energy policy, “good” politics and why she would be the toughest Democrat against the GOP’s John McCain.

Clinton, who is trailing Barack Obama in various statewide polls approaching today’s Virginia presidential primary, called McCain “a very formidable candidate” and said the Republican Party “will do everything they can to turn this into another national security election.”

She said Democrats must be able to convince independent and undecided voters, “whoever our candidate is, that we will be able to cross the commander-in-chief threshold.”

Clinton said she can “cross that threshold” and be in a better position to withstand the attacks that McCain and his party will throw at the Democrats.

She brought up Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ statements Monday that the Bush administration has no plans to reduce below 130,000 the numbers of American troops in Iraq into next year and said she is concerned about the prolonged, heavy military presence.

“I think that is a mistake,” she said, calling it mistaken “on several grounds.”

“There is no military solution,” she told the students, and leaving a huge American troop presence doesn’t force the Iraqis to start making decisions about how best to govern or defend themselves.

“I thought she was superb” in her responses to a few dozen questions from students about policy issues, Sabato said after the class, which was moved to Old Cabell Hall Auditorium to accommodate many more than 500 students. “She is so much better in person than she often comes across on television. When she gets on camera, she tries to avoid making gaffes.”

She was so thorough on policy responses, “I’d say she has another career as a college professor” after she wraps up her political career, Sabato said.

Clinton began her appearance by explaining that “politics is good,” a theme Sabato has sounded often for 38 years. “In a democracy, if it’s not, we are in deep trouble. … Politics, as far as I’m concerned, is not a game. It really is how we make decisions” and not a game of who’s up and who’s down, she said.

“The interest in this election is so intense,” Clinton said of the presidential races unfolding until Nov. 4. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

She explained her views on bio-fuels, saying America should start with the less efficient corn-based ethanol and “move more toward more efficient forms of bio-fuel,” such as switch grass. “Ethanol from corn isn’t the most efficient, but it’s what we have to start with,” Clinton said.

Asked about her faith, Clinton explained that she has always been a Methodist who believes that faith should be accompanied by good works, but “I also believe totally in the separation of church and state,” which was an American principle developed in Virginia. Students applauded that response as well as her desire to end the war in Iraq.

“If I had not been a praying person, living a week in the White House would have turned me into a praying person,” she said to chuckles around the auditorium.

She made the case that English should be the unofficial spoken language - but not the official language - of the United States despite polling data that show more than eight in 10 Americans favor making it the official language.

“It would cause havoc in [New York City] if, all of a sudden,” the government required official documents only in English, hurting people who have lived in America for 50 years but speak and read only Chinese. Their right to vote would be disrupted, she said. Others rely on translators whose payment by the state might be challenged and taken away.

“I want it to be our common national language,” but the nation has never adopted English as an official language because it would have many unintended consequences and “it would be very hurtful to people,” Clinton said.

She discussed the inspiration she has found in Nelson Mandela, whose presidential inauguration she attended. She was impressed, she said, by how he put a lifetime of bitter treatment and imprisonment behind him and did not let hatred take over his life. He recognized three of his jailers as special guests at his inauguration, she said.

She cited his example of moving on to accept all South Africans and quoted him as having said, “I know if I left prison embittered and full of hate, I would still be in prison.”" (Scott Weaver, C-Ville Weekly, February 12, 2008)