CLINTON THE FAVORITE WITH WALL STREET, DEFENSE CONTRACTORS

INDEPENDENT, UK - The US arms industry is backing Hillary Clinton for President and has all but abandoned its traditional allies in the Republican party. Mrs Clinton has also emerged as Wall Street's favorite. Investment bankers have opened their wallets in unprecedented numbers for the New York senator over the past three months and, in the process, dumped their earlier favorite, Barack Obama.

Mrs Clinton's wooing of the defense industry is all the more remarkable given the frosty relations between Bill Clinton and the military during his presidency. An analysis of campaign contributions shows senior defense industry employees are pouring money into her war chest in the belief that their generosity will be repaid many times over with future defense contracts. . .

After her election to the Senate, she became the first New York senator on the armed services committee, where she revealed her hawkish tendencies by supporting the invasion of Iraq. Although she now favors a withdrawal of US troops, her position on Iran is among the most warlike of all the candidates ­ Democrat or Republican.

This week, she said that, if elected president, she would not rule out military strikes to destroy Tehran's nuclear weapons facilities.