While speaking at a rally in Iowa, Hillary Clinton tried out a tactic she may come to rely on during the campaign — humor. Responding to a question about the bad men of the world, Clinton made a veiled reference to her notorious marital difficulties, and sent the crowd into an uproar.

“What in my background equips me to deal with evil and bad men?” she repeated, while smiling, raising her eyebrows and nodding. Although Hillary was forced to deny the joke when the press later descended on her, she offered this plea of sorts: “You know, you guys keep telling me, ‘Lighten up. Be funny.’ You know, I get a little funny and now I’m being psychoanalyzed.”

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Largest Minority:

Rally-goers concluded that Hillary was humorously suggesting her experience with Bill was qualification enough. “She was talking about Bill being a bad man. There was no doubt whatsoever,” said Tyrone Williams, an engineer from nearby Bettendorf, Iowa. “That was good,” Williams added with a chuckle. Afterwards, Clinton deflected questions about Bill being her target. During an afternoon press conference, she said, “You know, you guys keep telling me, ‘Lighten up. Be funny.’ You know, I get a little funny and now I’m being psychoanalyzed.” Clinton currently trails Edwards and Obama in Iowa, but that may change if she is viewed as being more likable. This human-like joke will likely boost her in the polls.

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