There is a piece from the Sunday Times Online that indicates Hillary might, in true Clinton form, pull out. There are rumors that she might not run for President in exchange for her party’s lead in the Senate. The piece indicates that Harry Reid said the job was hers if she did not run for the White House, though Reid’s people deny that rumor. Interestingly, it would appear that the Democrats do not believe they will win the Senate back:
The solution, insiders say, is for Clinton to take over as Senate minority leader in 2009 from the lacklustre Harry Reid, senator for Nevada. One well-respected blog, The Washington Note, recently claimed that Reid privately told Clinton the job was hers if she gave up her presidential ambitions.
Reid’s office denied it, but the claim made its way into the Los Angeles Times where it was suggested she would make a “superlative Senate leader†while keeping her options open for the 2012 presidential race. (emphasis added)
The fact that they offered her the Minority Leader position shows they doubt they will be in the majority. This whole idea has many things to consider. They indicate it would leave 2012 open for her but what if a Democrat wins in 2008 and is doing a decent job in the eyes of the Democratic party? What if the Democrats take the Senate in 2006? Will Hillary decide her chances at the White House are better and would Reid want to give up being the Majority Leader?
I believe that Hillary Clinton’s ambition coupled with Bill’s desire to get back to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue will win out and she will run in 2008. I actually hope that she runs and gets thoroughly trounced so we can finally be done with the so called Clinton legacy. If she actually wins then her presidency would likely be a disaster and that would bode poorly for other women who wanted to run in the future. The ‘been there, done that” mentality will be pervasive in this nation. Who knows, we might actually have the chance to make history with the first husband/wife presidents to be impeached.