Former President Bill Clinton said Monday that while Sen. Joe Biden was a good choice to be Barack Obamas running mate, his wife, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, would have been the best politically. Its a very personal decision, who should be vice president, Clinton said on ABCs "The View." I think that [Obama] felt more comfortable with another choice, and you have to respect that.
I like Sen. Biden a lot. I think he was a good choice, the former president said, before adding of his wife, She would have been the best politically, at least in the short run, because of her enormous support in the country.
But despite observing that his wife would have been the best political pick, Clinton said that Hillary Clinton didnt want to be Obamas running mate.
She said that if he asked Ill do it because its my duty but I think, look, she loves being a senator from New York.
Clinton said that the main thing she thought is, I should have no opinion on this. I need to get out of this.
Clinton did not go as far as to say that if Hillary Clinton had been the vice presidential pick, it would have kept some Democratic women from supporting the Republican ticket of John McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
Voting is a complicated process, the former president said. We give our allegiances to candidates and parties and issues for all kinds of reasons. We vote for some people because we like them even though we disagree with them. We vote for some people because we identify with them on race or gender.
Its not an entirely rational process, and it is different for everybody.