Though initial polls show Sen. Clinton as the front-runner for the Democratic nomination in 2008, U.S. News & World Report says Hillary may not seek the job.

Paul Bedard's "Washington Whispers" column in the latest edition of U.S. news reports that "some friends and allies advise against placing bets that the former first lady will be the nation's 44th president."

Citing these close friends to Hillary, the magazine says Hillary has made no commitment to running, and some say she is not in the race at all.

"She's not running," one supporter told Bedard.

Bedard writes: "The thinking in the 'don't run' campaign is that Clinton is well aware of the partisan feelings she generates. 'People love her or they hate her,' says an adviser. 'There's very little gray area to gain voters in.'"

Others say that Hillary's campaign would quickly get mired in the same scandals that rocked her husband's administration.

How long can Hillary hold out in hiding her intentions?

Not long.

Political pundits say that with the presidential campaign now on a full four-year cycle, Democratic candidates will be locking up big-money supporters and Democratic operatives in key primary states.

If candidates don't make clear their intentions early, they risk losing the party's movers and shakers to early runners.

Dick Morris believes Hillary is indeed running. He notes that the recent inauguration of the Clinton library was the soft kickoff of her national campaign. He oberved that though the library was about her husband's legacy, Hillary conducted most of the major media interviews.

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