Clinton not seen as honest as others

PRINCETON, N.J., March 20 (UPI) -- Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., is seen as the least honest and trustworthy of the three U.S. presidential hopefuls, the latest Gallup Poll indicated Thursday.

Just 44 percent of respondents rated Clinton as "honest and trustworthy," compared to 67 percent for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and 63 percent for Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.

McCain fared well on leadership, the Princeton, N.J., pollster said in a release. Sixty-nine percent of respondents said the presumptive GOP presidential nominee was "a strong and decisive leader," while 61 attached the attributes to Clinton and 56 percent thought the same of Obama.

Two in three respondents said Obama "understands the problems Americans face in their daily lives" and "cares about the needs of people like you." Clinton and McCain were in the 50 percent range for both of these characteristics.

Clinton was favored on a point considered an Achilles heel for both McCain and Obama -- having a clear plan for solving the nation's problems. Forty-nine percent say Clinton has a plan, compared with 41 percent for Obama and 42 percent for McCain.

Poll results are based on interviews with 1,025 adults Monday-Wednesday. The sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.