Clinton outwardly confident, even as hopes dim

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"All the kitchen table issues that everybody talks to me about are ones that the next president can actually do something about," Clinton said Sunday night, "if he actually cares about it."

The word hung in the air only for a moment.

"More likely, if she cares about it," she added.

Was it a dramatic turn of phrase or a slip of the tongue- A way to spotlight gender on Mother's Day or a sign that the public doubts about her campaign have taken root-

West Virginia is expected to deliver Clinton a big win Tuesday, but her campaign is not as confident as it once was. In the week since Democratic rival Barack Obama trounced her in North Carolina, Clinton has been closely watched for signs that her campaign's dwindling hopes have gotten to her.

For instance, she has eased off her pointed jabs at Obama. She has pledged anew that she would support the Democratic nominee "no matter what happens."

On Sunday, daughter Chelsea introduced her in West Virginia. In the past, she has brought her mother to the stage as "the next president of the United States." Sunday she added the word "hopefully."

Clinton rejects any suggestion that she's dropping out of the race. She used campaign stops Sunday to remind voters of women who didn't give up in difficult situations, who fought for equal rights, broke into male-dominated professions and succeeded when others told them to quit.

She quoted Eleanor Roosevelt, telling supporters: "A woman is like a tea bag. You never know strong she is until she is in hot water."

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