EDITORIAL: Clinton should get Trump treatment in debate

Tonight's Democratic Party presidential primary debate at Wynn Las Vegas should be all about Hillary Clinton.

The former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state has structured her entire presidential campaign to duck scrutiny. She has surrounded herself with friendly audiences, minimized her media availability and generally made it difficult for anyone to ask her tough questions about the trust issues that have been dragging down her poll numbers. The strategy hasn't served her well.

Mrs. Clinton is still her party's front-runner, but the fact that Vice President Joe Biden might yet jump into the race for nomination reveals questions about her electability and the general-election appeal of her closest rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders. Her falling approval rating gives her opponents in tonight's CNN debate an opportunity to boost their own numbers. Indeed, the only path to relevancy for the debate's three big underdogs — former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, former Rhode Island Sen. and Gov. Lincoln Chafee and former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb — is for Mrs. Clinton to nose dive.

But will CNN's moderators oblige? Will they make her think on her feet — something she has not proved especially good at? If Mrs. Clinton is given the same treatment GOP front-runner Donald Trump received in Republican debates, it will be a revealing evening of television. Here's hoping the questioning covers a number of issues Mrs. Clinton would rather not discuss:

— Have the hundreds of millions of dollars collected by Mrs. Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, for themselves through their foundation from foreign governments and large corporations compromised her ability to serve with integrity?

— Why did she believe she needed a private email server while serving as secretary of state? Did she put her personal and political interests ahead of national interests?

— Does Mrs. Clinton still believe the "Russian reset," carried out while she was secretary of state, has served the interests of global security?

— Considering Mrs. Clinton served in President Barack Obama's Cabinet for four years, would she continue his foreign policy agenda, or would she change it significantly?

— Have President Obama's economic policies served working families?

— Would she support any changes to Obamacare? Would she incorporate any elements of Hillarycare, the health care reform agenda she championed as first lady?

— After working toward the Trans-Pacific Partnership as secretary of state, last week Mrs. Clinton announced she now opposes it. After this switch, can voters believe any of her campaign promises?