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 But in a Democratic race so far featuring few political attacks or
policy clashes, Clinton's move to protect her left flank on issues
like the Asian trade pact and Keystone oil pipeline could open the
door during the nationally televised debate to questions about her
sincerity and charges of flip-flopping.
Clinton, the Democratic front-runner, and Sanders, a U.S. senator
from Vermont who is her prime challenger, will take part on Tuesday
at 8:30 p.m. EDT in the first of six scheduled debates in the race
to be the party's nominee in the November 2016 presidential
election.
They will be joined by former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley,
former Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee and former U.S. Senator
James Webb of Virginia. The showdown will give Sanders his first
broad national exposure and offer Clinton a chance to ease the
concerns of some Democrats about her.
After two raucous Republican debates that drew big television
audiences attracted by the fireworks generated by front-runner
Donald Trump, the Democratic encounter, hosted by CNN and to be held
in Las Vegas, is likely to be a tamer affair.
 It comes at a critical time for Clinton, whose once overwhelming
lead among Democrats in opinion polls has slipped amid questions
about her use of a private email server instead of a government
account when she was secretary of state.
In addition, she faces the threat that Vice President Joe Biden
could enter the race - something he has been increasingly urged to
do as Clinton's lead falters.
Sanders, a self-described socialist, has excited the party's left
wing and generated big crowds with a persistent message of
eradicating income inequality and reining in Wall Street.
In response, Clinton took stances on several key issues recently
that align her with Sanders. She reversed course to announce her
opposition to the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal
that she had praised when she was secretary of state, and she
rejected the Keystone XL pipeline that she had said in 2010 she was
inclined to approve. Sanders is a longtime opponent of both
projects.
Sanders, who has repeatedly refused to directly attack Clinton,
signaled over the weekend he would make an issue in the debate of
Clinton's tardiness on some of those topics, noting he opposed
Keystone and the TPP "from day one."
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Clinton, who still faces ambivalence about her candidacy from much
of the union rank-and-file, won praise from labor leaders for her
opposition to the TPP. Labor has opposed the pact out of fear it
would cost manufacturing jobs and weaken environmental laws.
"I don't think she ever had any inclination to back TPP," said R.
Thomas Buffenbarger, a Clinton ally who is president of the
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which
has endorsed Clinton.
Still, one labor leader said unionized workers very much want to
hear Clinton take her opposition to the TPP even further.
Some subtle policy differences remain between the two top Democratic
contenders. Sanders has pushed for what he calls a sensible approach
on gun control and voted against the 1993 Brady handgun bill that
President Bill Clinton signed into law.
Clinton, who has touted her foreign policy experience as secretary
of state, broke with the White House to back a no-fly zone in Syria
to give refugees a safe corridor. Sanders opposes it, saying it
could be a step toward pulling the United States into the Syrian
civil war.
Sanders has discouraged Super PACs from raising funds on his behalf,
warning of the influence of corporate money. Clinton is backed by
several Super PACs.
Eric Davis, a professor emeritus of political science at Middlebury
College in Vermont, expects Sanders "to have a vigorous critique of
Hillary Clinton on things like campaign finance," saying he can
criticize her for "the way she is financing her campaign and her
perceived closeness to Wall Street interests."
(Editing by Caren Bohan and Leslie Adler)
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