Several commentators — including Matthew Berger of The Faster Times — have concluded that Hillary Clinton has no plans to seek higher office.
Everyone I know in Washington (which, admittedly doesn’t include the former First Lady) thinks otherwise.
Their consensus is that Hillary is planning to run for veep — as Barack Obama’s running mate in 2012.
If they win, she’d be the first woman vice president.
And it would position her to become the first woman president in 2016.
Some insiders say that the possibility of Hillary joining the 2012 ticket was on the table when she accepted the job of Secretary of State.
Obama, the political maestro, knew there was only one way to keep the Clintons in line during his first four years in office: giving them something to look forward to. The carrot, not the stick.
As for Joe Biden: He had no reason to expect a second term (only eight vice presidents have served two full terms), and he may not even want one: He has no presidential ambitions (Biden will turn 70 in 2012, to Hillary’s 65). And he would understand Obama’s desire to cue up a Democrat for the 2016 race. Biden, for all his verbal unpredictability, is a team player who would bow out gracefully.
Allowing Secretary Clinton to bow in.
Image by Nrbelex.
Fred Bernstein
Fred Bernstein has degrees in architecture (from Princeton University) and law (from NYU) and writes about both subjects. Born on Long Island, he lives in New York City and has two young sons, Aaron and Jacob. ...
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