Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton "fully supports" President Bush's Iraq policy, her office said last night - on the eve of her visit today to an upstate arsenal that makes military hardware like mortars and howitzers for U.S. troops.

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"Sen. Clinton fully supports the steps the president has taken to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction," said Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines.

That puts Clinton (D-N.Y.) squarely at odds with a majority in her own party, where one recent poll found an Iraq attack is opposed by 66 percent of "core Democrats."

The statement comes after months where Clinton - who voted for an Iraq attack last fall - has low-keyed her support and sharply criticized aspects of Bush's security policy, sparking speculation she was trying to have it both ways.

A month ago, she sent a letter to Secretary of State Colin Powell charging that the Bush administration wasn't sharing enough intelligence to support the work of U.N. weapons inspectors.

"If we are truly serious about supporting the U.N. inspections, we should increase our intelligence support to the inspectors," said the letter.

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