McCain: Clinton ‘formidable’ candidate

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L), Republican Senator John McCain (R)

If Hillary Clinton decides to run for president in 2016, she’ll undoubtedly be a “formidable” candidate, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) told reporters Monday at a Chicago event.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt that Secretary Clinton would be a very strong candidate,” McCain said, according to Bloomberg. “I don’t think there’s any doubt she has widespread support. Her work as secretary of state, with the exception of this issue of Benghazi — which isn’t going away — I think has been outstanding. I think she would be viewed by anyone, Republican or Democrat, as a very formidable candidate for 2016.”

McCain, who himself ran for president in 2000 and 2008, added that Vice President Joe Biden could also have a shot at the presidency. Calling Biden a “wonderful guy,” McCain said that it’d be a mistake to rule him “out of this mix.”

Though rumors of a Biden-Clinton showdown in 2016 have already begun to swirl, neither the vice president nor the former secretary of state have officially declared their intention to run for president.

Earlier this month, Clinton said that she has yet to decide whether or not she will campaign in 2016, adding that she “probably won’t begin thinking about it until sometime next year.”

Biden also has been coy about his plans, though he has been dropping some hints.

“I can die a happy man never having been president of the United States of America,” he told GQ earlier this year, adding: “But it doesn’t mean I won’t run.” The Huffington Post

(PRESSTV ISH/ARA)