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Hillary to run for US president
20/01/2007 17:29 - (SA)
New York - Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton on Saturday took the first step toward a 2008 White House bid that could make her the first woman president of the United States, she announced on her website.
"I'm in. And I'm in to win," Clinton, a former first lady now representing New York in the US Senate, said in a video on her site.
"Today I am announcing that I will form an exploratory committee to run for president.
"The stakes will be high when America chooses a new president in 2008.
"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.
"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 joins a field of six other Democratic hopefuls who have taken initial steps toward vying for their party's nomination to run for president in 2008, including fellow Senator Barack Obama.
When Obama announced he was forming an exploratory committee last week, Clinton told CBS: "It's terrific that we're going to have a very vigorous primary on both sides."
Obama said Tuesday that after going on tour around the United States, he will announce his final decision about running on February 10 in Illinois, the state he represents as a US senator.
That set in gear one of the most watched primary battles in decades, between two "firsts" - potentially the first African-American and the first female US president.
Obama, with less political baggage, is likely to cast himself as the outsider. Clinton, a deeply polarizing figure, is the ultimate party insider and boasts more Washington experience.
- AFP
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