Hillary Clinton enters 2008 US presidential race

Democratic Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton entered the 2008 US presidential race yesterday with a swipe at President George W. Bush as she capped years of speculation about her White House ambitions.

"I'm in. And I'm in to win," said the former first lady, who is aiming to become the first woman elected US president.

The second-term US senator from New York leads a pool of five Democratic hopefuls, including Illinois Senator Barack Obama, who is expected to be her main competitor within the party and whose bid could make him the first black president.

Clinton promptly took aim at the unpopular Republican she wants to replace in the White House when his second, and final, four-year term expires.

The wife of former President Bill Clinton made history with her bid for the US Senate in New York in 2000, becoming the first former first lady to win one of the most powerful political jobs in the United States.

Clinton, 59, was re-elected by a huge margin to a second Senate term in November and is seen as a front-runner among Democratic contenders.

She took a first step towards becoming a candidate for her party's nomination yesterday by announcing plans for a presidential exploratory committee, which allows her to raise money and hire staff.

Bush was elected to a second four-year term in 2004 but by law cannot run again. The unpopular war in Iraq has driven his job approval ratings to record lows.

In a preview of the campaign to come, Clinton hammered at what she called "six years of Bush administration failures".

Her announcement came days after a similar move by Obama, who issued a statement calling her a "good friend and a colleague whom I greatly respect".

"I welcome her and all the candidates, not as competitors, but as allies in the work of getting our country back on track," he said.

Clinton enjoys the political benefits of her husband who, despite his scandal-ridden presidency, remains enormously popular and is a powerful fund-raiser, experts noted.

While Clinton may want to target Republicans, she also must look at potential Democratic contenders who may gain on her, particularly Obama, experts said.

On her Website, Clinton said she would be launching a series of live, online video conversations with voters tomorrow.

Some Democrats object to her stance on the US-led war in Iraq, which she voted to authorise in the US Senate.