Senator Hillary Clinton lies bare her aspirations
New York, Jan 22: Sen Hillary Rodham Clinton, in her firstpublic appearance since joining the 2008 White House race, has said shewanted to become US president because she was ''worried about thefuture of our country.''
The former first lady, appearing at a healthclinic in Manhattan to promote expanded health insurance for childrenyesterday, faced a mob of journalists eager to quiz her on her historiccampaign to be the first female US president.
Clinton, 59, announced her widely anticipated bid to seek theDemocratic Party's presidential nomination on Saturday with a statementon her Web site declaring: ''I'm in. And I'm in to win.'' ''I'm worriedabout the future of our country, and I want to help put it back on theright course so that we can work together to meet the challenges thatconfront us at home and abroad,'' she said.
''I am best-positioned to be able to do that, and that's why I'm running,'' Clinton added.
The second-term US senator from New York leads a pool ofDemocratic hopefuls, including Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, who isexpected to be her main competitor within the party and whose bid couldmake him the first black president.
Also yesterday, Democratic Gov Bill Richardson of New Mexicoannounced he was seeking the party's nomination. He would be the firstHispanic US president.
''It will be a great contest with a lot of talented people,''Clinton said of the race for the nomination. ''I'm very confident.''Clinton, the wife of former President Bill Clinton, held a large leadin the Democratic race in a Washington Post-ABC News poll taken lastweek before she announced her candidacy. She was the favorite of 41 percent of Democrats polled, more than double the 17 per cent,second-place rating scored by Obama.
Clinton made history with her bid for the US Senate in New York in2000, becoming the first former first lady to win one of the mostpowerful political jobs in the United States.
'Thorough
Review'
Supporters
and
detractors
alike
have
believedfor
years
that
Clinton
had
White
House
ambitions,
and
she
said
sinceher
re-election
to
a
second
US
Senate
term
in
November
she
had
made
a''thorough
review''
of
the
problems
facing
the
nation
and
''theparticular
strengths
and
talents
that
I
would
bring
both
to
the
raceand
to
the
White
House.''
She
said
she
chose
to
run
''based
on
the
workof
my
lifetime
and
my
experience
and
my
understanding
of
what
ourcountry
has
to
confront
in
order
to
continue
to
make
opportunityavailable
to
all
of
our
citizens
here
and
to
restore
our
leadership
andrespect
for
America
around
the
world.''
Her
campaign
will
enjoy
thepolitical
benefits
of
her
husband
who,
despite
his
scandal-hitpresidency,
is
enormously
popular
and
is
a
powerful
fund-raiser.
Asked what role he and daughter Chelsea would play in the race,she said, ''They're my greatest support system, my greatest advisersand they'll continue to do that.'' Clinton took the first step towardbecoming a candidate on Saturday by announcing plans for a presidentialexploratory committee, which allows her to raise money and hire staff.
Yesterday, Clinton said she backed expansion of a governmentprogram to provide health-care coverage to children in low- andmiddle-income families.
The issue has long been a favorite of the former first lady, whoseefforts at spearheading health-care reform during her husband's firstpresidential term floundered in Congress.
Clinton said she planned to campaign for health insurance for children and universal health care for Americans.
Reuters>