Among the names floated by Siena as potential female presidents, Hillary Clinton topped the list, with 53 percent saying they'd support her.

But in press release issued Feb. 10 - four days before the woman president poll was released - Siena announced it was holding its "First Woman President Symposium" to explore "the issues involved in electing the first woman president of the United States."

Among the speakers confirmed for the event:

• Newsweek's Eleanor Clift: often dubbed Eleanor "Rodham" Clift by critics because of her notorious support for Hillary in reports going back more than a decade.

Just last month Clift reported in Newsweek's pages:

"Hillary has adopted her husband’s gift of framing issues in a commonsense way that reaches across the liberal-conservative divide. ... Bush won in 2000 as the compassionate conservative; Hillary could win in 2008 as the commonsense liberal."

• Laura Liswood, founder and secretary-general of the Council of World Women Leaders, who helped form the White House Project in 1997. The group vowed to elect a woman president within the next two elections. In a poll commissioned by Liswood's group in 1999, Hillary Clinton won.

• Mosemarie Boyd, spokeswoman for American Women Presidents. Boyd went so far as to publicly endorse Hillary to run as John Kerry's running mate after he snagged the nomination in 2004, saying, "We enthusiastically endorse Senator Clinton to be Kerry's vice president. With Hillary on the ticket, John Kerry will win the presidency."

• Helen Thomas, syndicated columnist, Hearst Newspapers. In her memoirs Thomas called Hillary "smart, savvy and steadfast." When Juanita Broaddrick accused Bill Clinton of rape, Thomas suggested that Broaddrick, not Clinton, should be prosecuted for lying to investigators.

• Billie Luisi-Potts, Executive Director, National Women's Hall of Fame. In August 2003, Potts personally escorted Clinton in a tour of her Hall of Fame.

During her address to Luisi-Potts' group, Hillary gushed: "The National Women's Hall of Fame is truly an uncut jewel in New York's crown. It has the true potential to shine as a national memorial to the women's movement right here in upstate New York."

Other speakers at the Siena symposium include Carolanne Curry, founder of First Woman President, Inc. and president emeritus of The Women's Campaign School at Hillary's alma mater, Yale University; Robert Watson, editor of the book "Anticipating Madam President," and Marie Wilson, president of the Women's Leadership Fund and founder of "National Take Our Daughters to Work Day."

Editor's note: