Washington:  Lots of Democrats love Hillary Rodham Clinton. Yet plenty of Republicans, conservatives and all-important independents can t stand her, suggesting possible pitfalls for Barack Obama should he make her his vice presidential running mate.

The intense dislike for Clinton suggests that besides support from women and others she could bring to the ticket, she might make it harder for Obama to win over some independents, a pivotal swing group in the November election against Republican John McCain.

It also means she might push some Republicans and conservatives to vote against the Democrats or donate money to the GOP who might otherwise lack motivation to do so because of tepid feelings toward McCain.

A substantial 32 per cent of independents strongly dislike Clinton, 10 points more than say so about Obama, according to an Associated Press-Yahoo News poll.

Independents, a group that both Obama and McCain won during their party primaries this year, comprised a quarter of voters in the 2004 election and have been closely contested in every presidential election since 1992.

In addition, 67 per cent of Republicans have very unfavourable views of Clinton, 24 percentage points more than feel that way about Obama. Among conservatives the spread is similar 58 per cent say they feel very negatively about her, 18 points more than say so about Obama.

Few conservatives and Republicans are going to vote under any circumstances for Obama, the Illinois senator who clinched the Democratic presidential nomination last week and already has advisers culling possible running mates. But both parties will be trying to discern whether putting Clinton on the ticket might in some ways backfire.

Source : PTI