Hillary kicks off 2nd run for White House

Washington: Hillary Clinton, a votary of strong Indo-US strategic ties, has announced her bid for the White House for a second time, seeking to become the first woman American President in 2016. “I’m running for President. Everyday Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion,” the 67-year-old former Secretary of State said, emerging as one of the top contenders for the Democratic Party.The announcement came first in a tweet with an accompanying video and then in an email to her supporters.

The one-time first lady enters the race seven years after her bitter nomination defeat to President Barack Obama in 2008. She previously represented New York in the US Senate from 2001 to 2009. In an accompanying video, Clinton pledged to be a champion for everyday Americans and their families. She said she believes this campaign is about voters, not her, and urged people to get involved in her campaign saying, “It’s your time.” The video features middle-class families talking about their lives and planning for what is ahead.

The wife of former President Bill Clinton said she is committed to earning every vote and is starting with a focus on the early Democratic primary states. She will start with stops in Iowa this week to talk with Iowa voters, ramping up to a campaign kickoff in mid-May. Clinton, a globe-trotting diplomat, surprised her party by serving dutifully under Obama who had defeated her.

A day earlier, Obama had said that Clinton would be a great President. “She was a formidable candidate in 2008. She was a great supporter of mine in the General Election. She was an outstanding Secretary of State. She is my friend. I think she would be an excellent President,” he had said. During her visit to Islamabad in 2011, Clinton had said Pakistan should not keep “snakes” in the backyard to bite its neighbours. She had actively backed India’s growing engagement in the Asia Pacific. Clinton’s announcement energised the Indian-American community.