rooting the cliq has evolved into a pretty safe method. i did it with mine with limited knowledge and absolutely no trouble. go to modmymoto.com and there are plenty of user friendly methods that walk you through it step by step. i used the instructions on theunlockr.com and i had the process finished within 20 minutes
How To: Root the Motorola CLIQ (Updated 04.09.10) | The Unlockr i would recommend using this over The Dudes method because you do not have to use RSD Lite, which can be a real hassle....The Unlockr's method, as you can see if you click on the link, was updated 04/09/10 so it is very current, and every step has an explanation.
good luck