NY Times endorses Hillary for Senate; looks ahead to 2008 presid
2006-10-16
Source: Yahoo.com
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rss feedThe New York Times endorsed incumbent US Senator Hillary Clinton for re-election, but said the real question is what kind of Democratic presidential candidate she might make in 2008.
"We enthusiastically endorse Mrs. Clinton for re-election, while watching with interest to see if she can convince the country that she has as much aptitude for the presidency as she does for her current job," the daily wrote in an editorial.
"Can she conjure up a vision of the future for a nation desperately in need of inspiration and real leadership? Can she speak to the great issues of the day directly, without carefully trimming every sentence to steer clear of controversy?"
Clinton, was first elected New York's junior US senator in 2000, as her husband, former president Bill Clinton, was preparing to vacate the White House after serving two four-year terms. In her Senate race, she faces only token opposition from Republican challenger John Spencer, a former mayor the city of Yonkers, New York.
Pundits say Clinton has proved to be a capable and popular senator and many see the former first lady as an early frontrunner for the Democrats' presidential nomination.
"Mrs. Clinton's intention to be a candidate for president in 2008, though unannounced, is hardly a secret. And the Republicans failure to field a candidate of substance has allowed her to spend this fall running against George Bush. So far, the voters do not seem to mind.
"The real question is not whether she can turn in continued good performance in the Senate, or even whether she can run a smart campaign for president," the Times wrote.
"It is whether she can put some great idea ahead of her own political upward mobility, whether there is a cause so important to her that she will risk her political security for it," the influential daily added.
"We are waiting for a profile-in-courage moment, a sign that she is something more than a very competent politician."
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