THE SINKING SHIP – AT 11:09 A.M. ET:  A new poll ratifies the feeling that Hillary Clinton's ship has hit an iceberg and is slowly sinking.  And we were told this ship was unsinkable.  From AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Americans appear to be suspicious of Hillary Rodham Clinton's honesty, and even many Democrats are only lukewarm about her presidential candidacy, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll.

Is she strong and decisive? Yes, say a majority of people. But inspiring and likable? Only a minority think so.

Clinton's struggles to explain her email practices while in government, along with questions about the Clinton Foundation and Republican criticism of her openness, wealth and trustworthiness seem to have struck a nerve in the public's perception of the dominant Democratic figure in the 2016 campaign. In the survey, 61 percent said "honest" describes her only slightly well or not at all.

Nearly four in 10 Democrats, and more than six in 10 independents agreed that "honest" was not the best word for her.

Even so, she is viewed more favorably than her potential Republican rivals, none of whom are as well-known as the former secretary of state, senator and first lady.

With Clinton facing little competition on the Democratic side, Republicans are trying to make questions about her integrity central to the early 2016 campaign. They paint her as a creature of Washington who flouts the rules to get ahead.

COMMENT:  She still leads GOP rivals because everyone knows her and few know them.  As the race builds, Americans will see the quality of many of the GOP candidates. 

Hillary has been a national figure for a quarter of a century, about the same time frame in which FDR was nationally known.  There is probably nothing more positive to know about her.  But there probably are plenty of negatives out there.  She's a frontrunner about whom there is almost no enthusiasm.  If she's given a real race by an attractive candidate like Marco Rubio, I think Rubio would win.

May 2, 2015