she's a formiable woman... if you were an American, would you
vote for her?
Hillary Clinton launches 2008 presidential bid: 'I'm in to
win'
Declaring "I'm in to win," Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton
launched her 2008 presidential bid that could make her the first
female president of the United States.
Clinton, the wife of former president Bill Clinton, lashed out at
President George W. Bush in a video on her website as she ended
years of speculation over her political ambitions to declare she
was joining the race.
"I'm in. And I'm in to win," she said in a video on her
website.
"As a senator, I will spend two years doing everything in my power
to limit the damage George W. Bush can do. But only a new president
will be able to undo Bush's mistakes and restore our hope and
optimism," said Clinton, 59.
Clinton, just beginning her second term representing New York in
the Senate, announced she was taking the key first official step
for the race for her party's nomination and the White House with
the formation of a campaign exploratory committee.
She joins a field of six other Democrats who have taken initial
steps toward vying for their party's nomination to run for
president in 2008, including Barack Obama, an Illinois senator
hoping to be the first black president.
Clinton's announcement closed speculation dating back to her first
run for Senate in 2000 that she was keen to move back into the
White House and replace Bush, who is serving a second and last
four-year term.
"Only a new president can renew the promise of America -- the idea
that if you work hard, you can count on the health care, education
and retirement security that you need to raise your family. These
are the basic values of America that are under attack from this
administration every day," Clinton said Saturday.
An Illinois-bred corporate lawyer who attended prestigious Yale Law
School, Clinton put Americans on notice early in her husband's 1992
presidential campaign that she was "not the kind of woman who stays
at home baking cookies."
But Republican conservatives bristled at the idea that in electing
Bill Clinton as president, voters were also getting the cerebral
Hillary in a great two-for-one bargain.
Her official announcement that she is setting up an exploratory
committee launches what will likely prove one of the most-watched
primary battles in decades, between two would-be "firsts" --
potentially the first female and the first African-American US
president.
In a new poll released Saturday, Clinton held a wide lead over
Obama for their party's nomination.
Clinton outpaced Obama -- who joined the race Tuesday -- 41 percent
to 17 percent in the poll by ABC News and The Washington Post. The
survey was taken January 16-19.
On the Republican side, seven presidential hopefuls have taken
steps toward contesting their own party's nomination.
Obama, who announced he was setting up an exploratory committee on
Tuesday, said he will announce his final decision about running on
February 10 in Illinois after touring the country.
He said Saturday: "Senator Clinton is a good friend and a colleague
whom I greatly respect. I welcome her and all the candidates, not
as competitors, but as allies in the work of getting our country
back on track."
Clinton, too, underscored the need to steer the country in a
different direction.
"This is a big election with some very big questions. How do we
bring the war in Iraq to the right end? How can we make sure every
American has access to adequate health care? How will we ensure our
children inherit a clean environment and energy independence? How
can we reduce the deficits that threaten Social Security and
Medicare?" she asked.
She also announced that she would hold chats on the Internet in
coming days to listen to voters' views.
Clinton slammed Bush for damaging the United States' international
stature. "Only a new president can regain America's position as a
respected leader in the world," she said.
She did not dwell on a the idea that her presidency would be a
first for a US woman.
But she acknowledged: "As we campaign to win the White House, we
will make history and remake our future. We can only break barriers
if we dare to confront them, and if we have the determined and
committed support of others."
Clinton though faces a battle between her image as a deeply
polarizing figure and a Washington and Democratic party
insider.
Were she to become president, her husband, who served two terms,
would take on the unprecedented and so far undefined role of first
male US presidential spouse.
When her husband was in office, opponents of Hillary Clinton's own
influential advisory role argued the first lady had undue powers as
an unelected person. Bill Clinton now could face similar scrutiny
should Hillary Clinton be sent back to the White House, as
president.
(source: Yahoo News)
