Sen. Hillary Clinton appeared on “American MorningŽ with CNN‘s John Roberts to discuss the presidential campaign and her views on electing a woman to the White House. Excerpts: Would you like to make a prediction about what will happen in 21 days‘ time?
I feel very good about this election. I think we‘re going to have a really good victory for Democrats. Obviously, Barack and Joe are going to win. We‘re going to win some more Senate seats and some House seats. Obviously, I‘m going to keep working as hard as I can, because I don‘t want to take anything for granted. But I think that the country‘s attention being focused on the real problems that we face has raised the value and importance of leadership, and I think Sen. Obama has demonstrated great leadership qualities.
Do you think that there‘s any way Sen. Obama can lose it at this point?
I don‘t want to jinx what is going on, because it is very promising, and I‘m really optimistic. But in three weeks, that can be a lifetime in politics, and so he has to keep doing what he‘s doing. He has to campaign hard.
You spend an awful lot of time out there on the campaign trail -some 50 or more events. But there are many analysts who say that‘s what you have to do if you have any hope of running in 2012.
Well, that‘s sure not the way I see it. I‘m doing this because No. 1, I love my country, and No. 2, I‘ve spent my entire life -- not just the last two years -- talking about and working toward the changes that I think would make us even better than we are. I‘m very enthusiastic about the leadership that Sen. Obama and Sen. Biden offer our country on every issue that I care about as a senator, as an American. Would you like to see the very first woman in the White House? Well, I would like to see the very first woman in the White House who I agree with and who I think has policies that would really fulfill the goals that I have for our country. Of course it‘s exciting to have a woman on the ticket. The Democrats had a vice presidential candidate as a woman back in 1984. The Republicans did it this year. But that, in and of itself, is not enough reason, and really no one will shatter that ceiling until we have a woman serving as president or vice president. But I am going to be supporting women and men with whom I agree -- who I believe have the right policies and the right ideas about what‘s best for America.
