HILL BACKS 'BAN' ON FLAG-BURNING

    Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has quietly signed on to a Republican measure that makes it illegal to desecrate the American flag — a move that will boost her credibility in the conservative "red" states.

    Clinton is the sole co-sponsor of Utah Republican Sen. Bob Bennett's new legislation that outlaws flag-trashing without addressing the issue of a Constitutional amendment to ban it.

    It's a delicate dance on a longtime hot-button issue that has major implications in a potential 2008 White House bid for Clinton as she tries to woo heartland voters and block new centrist-Dem darling Gov. Mark Warner of Virginia.

    Warner last month fired a warning shot at Hillary's presidential hopes when he helped elect a fellow Democrat to succeed him in Virginia — proving he has the juice to boost other Democrats in red states.

    "She has been tagged, just about everywhere, as a likely loser because she can't carry a single red state.