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We had a taste of presidential ambition in southern Ontario Monday. Former U.S. First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton dropped in to provide her view of the world — as a possible candidate for president of the United States.
In downtown Toronto, people lined up around the block for hours in the hopes of getting close to the political superstar who was in town to sign copies of her book “Hard Choices.”
“I think she’s an amazing person to have as a leader.”
“I think she’d make a great president.”
“I hope she becomes the first president, lady president of the United States.”
Almost two thousand people turned out for a business lunch to hear Clinton speak.
And with the possibility of a Hillary for President campaign coming up, one question that won’t go away is, what would you call the husband of a female president.
Hillary Clinton: “Speaking hypothetically, there have been a number of suggestions, first man, first mate. I don’t know. I hope we have the opportunity to figure that out.”
Clinton insists she hasn’t decided yet whether to run for President.
But she praised Premier Kathleen Wynne, and her election victory last week: “From what I know about Premier Wynne’s recent election, it was a very positive agenda-driven campaign on her part. She was able to convince people that we have Hard Choices ahead, difficult days, but we can do this.”
On a wide range of issues, Clinton said she was wrong to support President George .Bush’s war in Iraq when she was a senator, and U.S. actions in the past are partly responsible for the current crisis there.
She also said Russian President Vladimir Putin is using outdated methods to make dangerous decisions.
One of her key messages was on women’s rights. That they’re just as important as other issues and can’t be pushed aside: “The places where women’s lives are most undervalued largely line up with the world’s places most plagued by instability, conflict, extremism and poverty.”
As someone who could be president of the United States some day, Clinton also spoke about relations between Canada and the U.S. She said the relationship between the two countries is a model for the world. But she also Canada can’t let that relationship be destroyed if the Americans decide not to approve the Keystone pipeline for Alberta oil. Instead, she says Canada, the U.S. and Mexico have to take a broader perspective on energy and climate change in North America.
