Clinton 'not in any hurry' to decide on future White House run

NEW YORK - Agence France-Presse

In this Sept. 9, 2013, file photo, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks about Syria in the South Court Auditorium on the White House Complex in Washington. AP photo

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is being "pragmatic and realistic" as she weighs a future White House run, she said in a magazine interview offering her most expansive remarks to date on her 2016 plans.
 
"I'm not in any hurry," she told New York Magazine. "I think it's a serious decision, not to be made lightly, but it's also not one that has to be made soon." Asked whether she wrestles with the idea of making another run for the US presidency after her failed 2008 bid, the former first lady answered: "I do." "But I'm both pragmatic and realistic. I think I have a pretty good idea of the political and governmental challenges that are facing our leaders, and I'll do whatever I can from whatever position I find myself in to advocate for the values and the policies I think are right for the country," she told the weekly.
 
"I will just continue to weigh what the factors are that would influence me making a decision one way or the other," she said.
 
Clinton, 65, has been enjoying a high profile retirement since relinquishing the job of top US diplomat earlier this year, giving speeches, receiving awards, and undertaking various projects spearheaded by her Clinton Global Initiative charitable group dedicated to stamping out poverty and AIDS.
 
She is seen as the clear Democratic frontrunner to succeed her former boss, President Barack Obama, in the 2016 election, after being narrowly defeated by him for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.
 
One of her chief rivals for the White House -- if she indeed runs again -- is Vice President Joe Biden. Like Clinton, Biden is a former US senator who has tried and failed in the past to be elected to America's highest office, and is said to be mulling another bid.
 
Clinton told New York Magazine she enjoys being out of public service for now and relishes pending more time with her husband, former president Bill Clinton.
 
"We get to be at home together a lot more now than we used to in the last few years," she said.
 
"We have a great time -- we laugh at our dogs, we watch stupid movies, we take long walks, we go for a swim. You know just ordinary, everyday pleasures." She acknowledged that speculation is rife about her political plans, but suggested that it's too soon to focus on the next presidential election, with the last one not even a year in the past.
 
"This election is more than three years away, and I just don't think it's good for the country," she told the magazine.
 
"It's like when you meet somebody at a party and they look over your shoulder to see who else is there, and you want to talk to them about something that's really important," she said.
 
"In fact, maybe you came to the party to talk to that particular person, and they just want to know what's next," she said.
 
"I feel like that's our political process right now. I just don't think it is good."