by Glenn Thrush

NASHUA, NH--It's Hillary and Rudy against the world, strategy-wise. A subdued Mark Penn, Hillary Clinton's top strategist, was surrounded by reporters on the red-eye flight from Des Moines to Manchester last night who wanted to know if a Clinton win in New Hampshire was essential to her viability after yesterday's Iowa whooping.

Penn wouldn't say yes. (Money man Terry McAuliffe differed, predicting a win)

"I think the critical day is Feb. 5," he said, echoing Giuliani's strategy of accepting losses in the small, early primary states like New Hampshire. Not exactly an expression of confidence in the campaign's ability to turn the Obama tide here by next Tuesday.

The pollster, clearly exhausted but characteristically obliging, said he was studying the reasons for Obama's jaw-dropping 35-to-30 percent edge among Iowa women -- but opined that it was just younger women swept up in Obama's young-voter tidal wave. He said that NH women were "different" than their Hawkeye State sisters but didn't elaborate.

As he spoke, Madeline Albright curled up in her leather seat, scrunched up her coat and commenced blissful snoozing.

"It's the economy, stupid,"

In her first appearance since yesterday's Iowa defeat, Hillary Rodham Clinton stood next to her husband and adopted his 1992 campaign theme: reversing a flailing economy under a Bush administration.

Citing this morning's weak jobs report, Clinton referenced Americans' growing economic fears: "I predict to you we are just at the beginning of a very tough economic year... There are some similarities between 1992 and today.... We are seeing New Hampshire voters worried about losing their jobs and losing their homes to foreclosure."

Clinton, who was nailed in Iowa for 1) not taking enough questions 2) planting questioners in the audience unveiled a new stump strategy -- delivering a ten-minute speech, followed by a protracted crowd Q-and-A. (Taking a page from John Edwards and Barack Obama)

Over the next five days she said she would take as many questions as possible "in order to allay any concern or doubts that [people] have about the outcome" of the primary.

Clinton arrived an hour late after taking an all-night flight from Iowa with Bill and Chelsea but seemed caffeinated.

"I think my girls look good, don't you?" the former president said, flanked by his aforementioned girls.