Southern Man.
Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, a popular Democrat, said recently that his party should look beyond Sen. Clinton for the 2008 White House race because people want "something different." Bredesen is considered somewhat of a potential "dark horse" presidential contender himself. He claims that voters are "kind of dissatisfied" with all current Democratic 2008 prospects and that the actual candidate "may well be someone that nobody has thought of....The sense I get is that people are really hunting around and looking for something different." Specifically, something different from Hillary Clinton. The governor noted that "People love [Hillary] or they hate her, and I don't know in the end how all that plays out. But I sure hope there are other people who would step forward," and that "Surely in the United States we can go further than having to have a single family dominate one side and a single family dominate the other." Bredesen's press secretary didn't dispute the quotes but said they were "taken out of context," adding that the interview was about the Democratic Party's future and, "He wasn't out to say anything bad about Sen. Clinton." However, Bredesen's remarks underscore concerns among some Democratic moderates that the liberal Hillary would, despite her best efforts as of late to appear more centrist, have trouble appealing to rural and Southern voters. A colleague of Bredesen said, "It's not an unusual observation that we might want to elect a President named something other than Clinton or Bush. Or with saying we might not want to hand the nomination to her on a silver platter and want to reach out more aggressively to our blue-collar base." Hillary refused to comment, and her spokesman said only, "Sen. Clinton remains focused on being the best senator she can be for the people of New York."
No Rudy in 2006?
Last week, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani appeared on the "Tonight" show with Jay Leno, where he briefly discussed the possibility of Hillary for President. Leno: "Do you think Hillary will run?" Giuliani: "Sure. I think, I mean, from everything I can see I think she will. But again it's way too early. If you asked me right now, if this were two years from now, would she run, yes sure." Just a couple days later, Giuliani pretty much came out against running himself against Hillary for the Senate in 2006. Apparently, he has too much on his plate with his private company, Giuliani Partners, to consider any political races next year, advisers said. "Rudy never says never, but it is highly unlikely," said Anthony Carbonetti, Giuliani's top political adviser, about his entering next year's races for governor or U.S. Senate. Of course, it's always a possibility that Giuliani could square off against Hillary in 2008 for the White House.
Cheney vs. Clinton?
Vice President Cheney also recently talked about the potential presidential candidacy of Clinton. "I don't know her that well," he said. "She's clearly a significant national figure and working hard at being a successful senator. I don't agree with her voting record, obviously. But she went out and earned the right to represent the people of one of our biggest states in the United States Senate, and I think she's a formidable political personality. I could never vote for her, but a lot of people do." Cheney has repeatedly and publicly stated that he will not run for President in 2008, even though in theory the nomination would be his for the taking. However, there have been recent reports that certain Republican groups are trying to get Cheney to change his mind, in which case there could possibly be a Cheney vs. Clinton matchup in 2008.
