Hilary Clinton Says No Second Presidential Bid

Clinton will turn 65 in October 2012, placing her at the older end of the range of those who generally seek the presidency. Still, political onlookers note that she remains the most viable female potential candidate in either party. In the 2008 primary election effort, Clinton won 18 million votes, raising more than $220 million and become the first woman in history to win a U.S. primary.

She has dismissed the notion of a future presidential bid before, and even her most hopeful supporters have long conceded that a 2016 Clinton campaign would be unlikely. But until now, there always seemed to be a way to interpret her response as a "maybe."

That is until NBC's Ann Curry asked whether she had any regrets about not winning the presidency -- or any interest in seeking it again. "Will you ever run for president again? Yes or no?" Curry asked.
"No," Clinton said. "No?" Curry asked. "No. No," Clinton replied. "I mean, this is a great job. It is a 24/7 job. And I'm looking forward to retirement at some point."

It is unlikely that any Democrat would challenge President Obama in 2012, when he is all but certain to run for reelection. If he were to win another term, it is unclear who would succeed him as the leader of the Democratic Party in 2016. Vice President Biden will turn 74 that year, making him older than senator John McCain was during his presidential campaign in 2008.

It remains to be seen whether Clinton's flat denial is enough to permanently put to rest questions about her future. Other political figures have ruled out a campaign only to reverse themselves, as Obama did after declaring in 2006 that he would not run for president in 2008.

Written by Jesse Slome
Los Angeles, CA
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