"She was a formidable candidate in 2008, she was a great
supporter of mine in the general election, she was an
outstanding secretary of state, she is my friend. I think she
would be an excellent president," Obama said during a news
conference at the Americas summit in Panama City.
Obama said when Clinton makes her bid public, he expects "she
will be very clear about her vision for the country moving
forward."
Obama offered a strong endorsement of her abilities and lauded
her foreign policy as the top U.S. diplomat during his first
term in office.
"She's going to be able to handle herself really well in any
conversations that take place around foreign policy," he told
reporters, adding: "her track record with respect to domestic
policy is, I think, one that cares about working families."
Clinton plans to announce her long-anticipated plans through
video and social media on Sunday before traveling to key early
voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire, according to a Democrat
close to the Clinton camp.
Obama, asked about the possibility of his vice president, Joe
Biden, running to succeed him, demurred.
"Not only have I run in my last election, I am not in the
business of prognosticating future elections," he said.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey and Roberta Rampton in Washington,
and Matt Spetalnick in Panama City; Editing by Grant McCool and
James Dalgleish)
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