At YearlyKos, Clinton Puts Bloggers at Ease

Jonathan E. Kaplan, a staff writer for The Hill, is covering the YearlyKos convention and will provide periodic updates on the Congress Blog.

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) did not make a grand entrance to the podium Saturday at the YearlyKos Convention, but the bloggers, activists and perhaps skeptics cheered her as she walked on stage.

While the other five Democratic candidates in attendance will meet in smaller groups after the Presidential Leadership Forum, Clinton met before the forum. She is headed shortly to fundraisers in the Hamptons.

This crowd, leery about her support of the war and her tendency to blur distinctions between liberal and conservative policies, showed no sign of displeasure. With some gentle humor and self-deprecation, Clinton put the room at ease.

“Don’t tell anyone, I actually read blogs,