http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/43905.htmApril 5, 2005 -- WASHINGTON — A popular Democratic governor from the South has raised eyebrows by saying that Democrats should look beyond Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for the 2008 White House race because people want "something different."
Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen — seen by some as a potential dark-horse presidential contender — said voters are "kind of dissatisfied" with all current Democratic 2008 prospects, according to the London Sunday Times.
"People love [Clinton] or they hate her, and I don't know in the end how all that plays out. But I sure hope there are other people who would step forward," he was quoted as saying.
"It may well be someone that nobody has thought of . . . The sense I get is that people are really hunting around and looking for something different."
He also questioned why 2008 speculation focuses on President Bush's brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (who says he won't run), and Clinton (D-N.Y.).
"Surely in the United States we can go further than having to have a single family dominate one side and a single family dominate the other," said Bredesen, 61.
Bredesen's press secretary, Lydia Lenker, didn't dispute the quotes but said they were "taken out of context," adding that the interview was about the Democratic Party's future and "He wasn't out to say anything bad about Sen. Clinton."
Asked for comment, Clinton's spokesman, Philippe Reines, said only, "Sen. Clinton remains focused on being the best senator she can be for the people of New York."
The interview underscores concerns among some Democratic centrists that Clinton would have trouble appealing to rural and Southern voters.
A Bredesen ally said: "It's not an unusual observation that we might want to elect a president named something other than Clinton or Bush. Or with saying we might not want to hand the nomination to [Clinton] on a silver platter and want to reach out more aggressively to our blue-collar base."
