Poll says Clinton tough enough for a crisis, more so than Obama

WASHINGTON, March 16 (UPI) -- A poll released Sunday finds potential 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton likable, admirable, honest and tougher than President Barack Obama.

Sixty-four percent of respondents to the CNN/ORC International poll say she is tough enough to handle a crisis, 11 percentage points higher than Obama's rating, and 64 percent call Clinton a strong and decisive leader, compared to 50 percent who identify Obama in those terms.

Clinton's highest mark is in her likability, 68 percent, a figure 5 percentage points higher than in 2007 when she began her 2008 presidential bid.

"Right now, Clinton has a reservoir of goodwill that would be the envy of any potential presidential candidate," said Keating Holland, CNN polling director.

The poll was conducted March 7-9, by telephone, with 801 adults nationwide. The overall sampling error is 3.5 percentage points.