Once again we return to the question of Hillary Clinton’s interest in the 2004 campaign. When we last left this adventure, in late August, speculation was rampant that the junior senator from New York was giving it serious thought.
Fortunately, HRC quickly doused the fire. After hours of media conjecture, Sen. Clinton was categorical. “I am absolutely ruling it out,” she said.
That was the end of that…until her husband starting things up again.
On Tuesday, Bill Clinton spoke at a public forum in Monterey, Calif. Asked by Leon Panetta, the president’s former chief of staff, if there was “a chance” his wife might seek the Dem nomination in 2004, Bill gave the wrong answer.
“That’s really a decision for her to make,” he said.
No, no, no. The right answer would have been, “She’s ruled it out but is flattered by the interest.”
But no, Bill has to go and start trouble. I wish he wouldn’t do this.
The former president also said he’s been impressed by supportive New Yorkers who have said they’d understand if Hillary broke her pledge to serve a full Senate term.
“I was impressed at the state fair in New York, which is in Republican country in upstate New York, at how many New Yorkers came up and said they would release her from her commitment if she wanted to do it,” Bill said. “But she said…she just doesn’t understand how to walk away from that. So I just have to take her for where she is right now.”
That “where she is right now” remark doesn’t help, either. It suggests she might be somewhere else at some point down the road.
In response to the issue, a spokesperson for the senator told the New York Sun, “Senator Clinton has repeatedly said that she will serve out her full six-year term. She loves her job and is working on being the best senator she can be for the people of New York.”
Naturally, that didn’t seem to help. People were looking for a more definitive “no.” Simply restating what HRC has “repeatedly said” in the past isn’t enough to quell the media’s interest in her future.
I continue to believe that this is much ado about nothing. People enjoy speculating about Hillary because she is, aside from Bush, probably the most well-known and publicly-discussed politician in America.
When you get right down to it, she said just three weeks ago that she has “absolutely” ruled it out. I believe her.