I disagree. At this point I think there is an enormous gulf between what Republicans think Democrats think of Hillary - see all the speculation on this board, Drudge, and many other places - about her running for Prez of VP this year when she was never even a candidate - and what they actually think of her. She is arguably the most famous person in the party. She has great name recognition and is a known quantity. This both works for her and against her. While she has been a pretty conservative, moderate Senator, I don’t think her fame works in her favor for the Presidential nomination.
NY is not the most liberal state in the country. Maybe it was the most liberal available state (which I already suggested). I’d have to look at the openings in 2000; there were probably only a few since she couldn’t compete against an incumbent Democrat and wasn’t going to run against a Republican who actually had Senate experience. But Republican George Pataki, who’s getting a little potential '08 nomination talk himself, has been the Governor for three terms. Republican Alfonse D’Amato had a long Senate career before Hillary showed up. And so on.