Hillary Clinton
makes request for
isle contributions

First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton wants Hawaii dollars to help her bid for a U.S. Senate seat from New York -- via the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

In a "Dear Friend" mailing that used the first lady's name liberally, the DSCC contacted previous and prospective contributors in the isles with letters from the first lady and Sen. Robert Torricelli of New Jersey, the DSCC chairman. The return envelope and voucher carried the first lady's name, although funds raised go to all Democratic senatorial candidates.

Mrs. Clinton's four-page letter makes no reference to her Senate bid; instead, it is a pump-priming missive for the DSCC.

Torricelli, however, wrote: "I have told Mrs. Clinton in no uncertain terms that the DSCC will be there for her campaign. We will contribute the maximum allowed by law -- almost $2 million. And we will be there for her with expert advice, polling, strategic planning, fund-raising and whatever else we can provide to help her run and win."

Mrs. Clinton branded Republicans as being in bed with "powerful right-wing allies," "right-wing political groups" and "right-wing political operatives" with "their extremist agenda" and "more interested in placating the most extreme elements of their party."