I’m in.And I’m in to win: Hillary Clinton

WASHINGTON – The field of US Democratic presidential contenders was expected to grow even more yesterday after Senator Hillary Clinton dramatically reshaped the budding contest by entering the 2008 race.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, a former US ambassador to the United Nations and energy secretary, is likely to announce that he is creating a presidential exploratory committee, according to people close to the Democratic Party. Richardson, a prominent Hispanic leader, appeared on ABC’s ‘This Week’ programme that aired at 1400 GMT yesterday.He said Friday he believed Congress needed to either put legal caps on the number of US troops in Iraq or to take other steps to stop the war.”I have very firmly said the troops should be withdrawn this year, redeployed,” Richardson told MSNBC television.Still, his announcement was expected to be overshadowed by reverberations from a bombshell dropped Saturday by the former first lady, whose long-awaited entry into the race opened up what promises to be one of the most exciting and groundbreaking political contests in US history.As it is shaping up, the race will be pitting Senator Clinton, determined to become the country’s first female president, against fellow Senator Barack Obama, who aims to be the first African-American in the White House.”I’m in.And I’m in to win,” Clinton said in a video announcement on her website Saturday.Four days before Obama signalled his own plan to fight for the nomination, saying he had formed a committee to test the waters and start raising money.With their entry the field of confirmed Democratic hopefuls expanded to seven, still 12 months ahead of the first crucial state-based primary elections that will decide the Democratic and Republican party nominees who battle for the White House in November 2008.Clinton, 59, the wife of former president Bill Clinton, ended years of speculation over her political ambitions with her announcement.”The frontrunner has just stepped on the stage,” said Washington’s veteran political analyst Charlie Cook.”This is the first woman in our history who will be taken seriously by everyone,” said political scientist Ruth Mandel of Rutgers University.But while polls showed Clinton the odds-on favourite to capture the Democratic nomination next year, her continuing ability to divide voters meant that the race was still wide open with Obama, former senator John Edwards and others yet to commit to the race angling to demonstrate they have a better chance to defeat the Republican challenger.In a Washington Post-ABC News poll released Saturday based on voters surveyed before her announcement, Clinton outpaced Obama 41 per cent to 17 per cent in the contest for the Democratic nomination.Likewise, a Gallup poll taken a week ago put Clinton ahead with backing from 29 per cent of Democratic voters, compared with 18 per cent for Obama and Edwards at 13 per cent.Nampa-AFPRichardson, a prominent Hispanic leader, appeared on ABC’s ‘This Week’ programme that aired at 1400 GMT yesterday.He said Friday he believed Congress needed to either put legal caps on the number of US troops in Iraq or to take other steps to stop the war.”I have very firmly said the troops should be withdrawn this year, redeployed,” Richardson told MSNBC television.Still, his announcement was expected to be overshadowed by reverberations from a bombshell dropped Saturday by the former first lady, whose long-awaited entry into the race opened up what promises to be one of the most exciting and groundbreaking political contests in US history.As it is shaping up, the race will be pitting Senator Clinton, determined to become the country’s first female president, against fellow Senator Barack Obama, who aims to be the first African-American in the White House.”I’m in.And I’m in to win,” Clinton said in a video announcement on her website Saturday.Four days before Obama signalled his own plan to fight for the nomination, saying he had formed a committee to test the waters and start raising money.With their entry the field of confirmed Democratic hopefuls expanded to seven, still 12 months ahead of the first crucial state-based primary elections that will decide the Democratic and Republican party nominees who battle for the White House in November 2008.Clinton, 59, the wife of former president Bill Clinton, ended years of speculation over her political ambitions with her announcement.”The frontrunner has just stepped on the stage,” said Washington’s veteran political analyst Charlie Cook.”This is the first woman in our history who will be taken seriously by everyone,” said political scientist Ruth Mandel of Rutgers University.But while polls showed Clinton the odds-on favourite to capture the Democratic nomination next year, her continuing ability to divide voters meant that the race was still wide open with Obama, former senator John Edwards and others yet to commit to the race angling to demonstrate they have a better chance to defeat the Republican challenger.In a Washington Post-ABC News poll released Saturday based on voters surveyed before her announcement, Clinton outpaced Obama 41 per cent to 17 per cent in the contest for the Democratic nomination.Likewise, a Gallup poll taken a week ago put Clinton ahead with backing from 29 per cent of Democratic voters, compared with 18 per cent for Obama and Edwards at 13 per cent.Nampa-AFP