Hillary Clinton: I'm in
Saturday, 20 Jan 2007 20:18
Hillary Clinton: Former first lady could become the first female US president
Democrat senator Hillary Clinton has unveiled her bid for the White House in the 2008 US presidential elections.
The words "I'm in" confirmed the long-awaited declaration of intent on her personal website, which was accompanied by a video and text message outlining her plans.
Mrs Clinton says she is setting up a presidential exploratory committee ahead of the November 2008 elections, days after fellow Democrat senator Barack Obama made a similar announcement.
If successful in her bid for the White House, the 59-year-old wife of former president Bill Clinton would become the first-ever woman president.
The message carried on her website today said that she would stand for president in order to "overcome six years of [president George Bush] administration failures".
Although insisting she would concentrate on her New York senator duties in order to limit the "damage" done by Mr Bush over the next 18 months, she went on to say that "only a new president will be able to undo [Mr] Bush's mistakes and restore our hope and optimism".
"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.
"And only a new president can regain America's position as a respected leader in the world," Ms Clinton added.
Five Democrats have now declared their intention to stand in the 2008 presidential elections, with Ms Clinton regarded as having an edge over closest rival Mr Obama.