After summer of attacking Trump, Clinton focuses on herself

Just seven weeks before Election Day and Clinton's poll numbers slipping, her campaign is trying — yet again — to explain one of the world's most famous politicians to a skeptical public.

The effort marks an unusual moment of introspection for Clinton, who has long refused to engage in the kind of public self-examination that can help transform would-be heads of state into relatable figures.

The start of September brought a series of near-apologies from Clinton, a notable shift for a candidate who took months to express remorse for her decision to use a private email system while running the State Department.

The campaign hopes that such public shows of humility, alongside a series of speeches designed to lay out her vision for the country, will persuade voters to reconsider their feelings about Clinton.

In the campaign's final stretch, her aides plan to show off Clinton in governing mode — meeting world leaders during the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York City, for example.

Strategists worry that Clinton's character issues have contributed to a lack of understanding about why she's running for president, a pressing concern given that absentee ballots are now available in a few states.

Clinton's campaign and the outside groups helping her spent more than $161 million on television and radio advertising between mid-June and this past week, according to Kantar Media's political ad tracker, with a huge portion of their spots aimed at hammering Trump.

[...] advisers and former aides acknowledge improving Clinton's standing with Americans, forged over nearly three tumultuous decades in public life and shaped in part by relentless criticism from her opponents, isn't an overnight process.