- Mar 29, 2004
- 13,051
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WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday answered the question on everyone's mind - telling one New York lawmaker flat out: "I'm really going to go for this."
Clinton dropped the much-anticipated presidential bombshell during a blitz of phone calls to home-state lawmakers, as well as a top moneyman, Attorney General-elect Andrew Cuomo, and the Rev. Al Sharpton.
"She said to me, 'I'm really going to go for this. I'm going to make this effort,' " the New York lawmaker told The Post.
"She never said she was running for the presidency of the United States or if she was going to announce - or anything like that," the lawmaker said, quickly adding, "It wasn't a question that needed to be asked. It was an obvious conversation."
The news came as The Des Moines Register reported that Clinton has started reaching out to Democrats in Iowa, a critical presidential testing ground.
Clinton's aides have insisted she is considering running and seeking advice but has not yet made a final decision.
Another New York lawmaker said that during the course of their conversation, Clinton revealed she felt pressure to formally jump into the 2008 White House race sooner rather than later because other candidates are becoming increasingly active.
Clinton disagreed with that lawmaker's assessment that the former first lady could announce her candidacy at any time she thought was appropriate.
She responded by "subtly disputing the notion that she could wait as long as she wanted," the lawmaker said.
Queens Rep. Joe Crowley also said he spoke with Clinton yesterday and came away all but certain she's in the race.
"She just let me know that what I'd been hearing is true and that she wanted my support and help in anyway that I possibly could," Crowley told The Post.
"It was a very exciting and exhilarating conversation. I don't know how often it happens in a lifetime when someone calls you up and says, 'I want you to know I'm doing this and I want your support,' " he added.
In addition to Crowley, Clinton spoke to Westchester Democrat Nita Lowey and several other members of the state's congressional delegation.
Sharpton said Clinton phoned him yesterday, too.
Clinton reached out to one of her biggest donors, Gristedes supermarket mogul John Catsimatidis.
"She wants to get together before the holidays," Catsimatidis said.
The Des Moines Register reported that Clinton spoke yesterday with Iowa Democrat Bonnie Campbell, a former state attorney general who said, "She is looking at the possibility of running for president and is looking for a read on Iowa."
Two Iowa polls in the last year have shown Clinton struggling there.
Meanwhile, Team Clinton moved to stockpile Democratic talent, hiring a national fund-raising director, a key operative and a senior campaign spokesman.
Phil Singer, a veteran of Sen. John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign who most recently was spokesman for Sen. Charles Schumer's Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, will join the Clinton communications team.
"I'm going to do everything I can to help her if she decides to run," Singer said. "Hopefully, she'll make a decision soon."
Democratic fund-raiser Jonathan Mantz has signed on as fund-raising director, and Karen Hicks, a veteran field organizer who served as New Hampshire director for Howard Dean's 2004 campaign, will be Clinton's national field director.
Link
She is going to have a very hard time becasue of her repug-lite pro-iraq neocon enabling stances.
Is she actually anyones first choice? She has betrayed liberalism values over and over.
Oh well, back to voting green
Clinton dropped the much-anticipated presidential bombshell during a blitz of phone calls to home-state lawmakers, as well as a top moneyman, Attorney General-elect Andrew Cuomo, and the Rev. Al Sharpton.
"She said to me, 'I'm really going to go for this. I'm going to make this effort,' " the New York lawmaker told The Post.
"She never said she was running for the presidency of the United States or if she was going to announce - or anything like that," the lawmaker said, quickly adding, "It wasn't a question that needed to be asked. It was an obvious conversation."
The news came as The Des Moines Register reported that Clinton has started reaching out to Democrats in Iowa, a critical presidential testing ground.
Clinton's aides have insisted she is considering running and seeking advice but has not yet made a final decision.
Another New York lawmaker said that during the course of their conversation, Clinton revealed she felt pressure to formally jump into the 2008 White House race sooner rather than later because other candidates are becoming increasingly active.
Clinton disagreed with that lawmaker's assessment that the former first lady could announce her candidacy at any time she thought was appropriate.
She responded by "subtly disputing the notion that she could wait as long as she wanted," the lawmaker said.
Queens Rep. Joe Crowley also said he spoke with Clinton yesterday and came away all but certain she's in the race.
"She just let me know that what I'd been hearing is true and that she wanted my support and help in anyway that I possibly could," Crowley told The Post.
"It was a very exciting and exhilarating conversation. I don't know how often it happens in a lifetime when someone calls you up and says, 'I want you to know I'm doing this and I want your support,' " he added.
In addition to Crowley, Clinton spoke to Westchester Democrat Nita Lowey and several other members of the state's congressional delegation.
Sharpton said Clinton phoned him yesterday, too.
Clinton reached out to one of her biggest donors, Gristedes supermarket mogul John Catsimatidis.
"She wants to get together before the holidays," Catsimatidis said.
The Des Moines Register reported that Clinton spoke yesterday with Iowa Democrat Bonnie Campbell, a former state attorney general who said, "She is looking at the possibility of running for president and is looking for a read on Iowa."
Two Iowa polls in the last year have shown Clinton struggling there.
Meanwhile, Team Clinton moved to stockpile Democratic talent, hiring a national fund-raising director, a key operative and a senior campaign spokesman.
Phil Singer, a veteran of Sen. John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign who most recently was spokesman for Sen. Charles Schumer's Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, will join the Clinton communications team.
"I'm going to do everything I can to help her if she decides to run," Singer said. "Hopefully, she'll make a decision soon."
Democratic fund-raiser Jonathan Mantz has signed on as fund-raising director, and Karen Hicks, a veteran field organizer who served as New Hampshire director for Howard Dean's 2004 campaign, will be Clinton's national field director.
Link
She is going to have a very hard time becasue of her repug-lite pro-iraq neocon enabling stances.
Is she actually anyones first choice? She has betrayed liberalism values over and over.
Oh well, back to voting green