Bill Clinton 2016: Former President Would Wield Power If Hillary Won The White House

Bill Clinton has already been in the White House for eight years, but he might have at least four more at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue if his wife decides to run.

Many believe former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will not only run for president in 2016, but is the odds-on favorite to win. In early polling she breezes past all presumptive GOP contenders, and no other Democrats are seen as major primary threats.

To many, that leaves the interesting question of how Bill Clinton would fit into the White House. As the first First Gentleman, Bill would undoubtedly yield more power than First Ladies, who usually lead pet project like literacy or anti-drug efforts.

Instead, Bill Clinton would come into the White House with his vast political and fundraising networks intact, making him a powerful political figure again.

Many believe Bill Clinton is actively seeking the White House again.

“Don’t ask me a question the answer to which is obvious,” Don Fowler, a longtime friend of the ex-president, said when the Washington Post asked if Bill was pushing for a 2016 run. “It’s pretty obvious.”

Some even believe that Bill Clinton is even more enthusiastic about a White House run than Hillary, including Bill’s former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich.

Bill Clinton has pushed for the White House in the past. In 2008, he was a major player in Hillary’s primary run, something eventual winner Barack Obama took note of.

“I can’t tell who I’m running against sometimes,” Obama said during an early 2008 debate.

Bill Clinton is already active this time around, even though Hillary Clinton has yet to officially announce her intentions. He has joined Hillary in blasting a pair of books taking Hillary to task, calling them “complete crap.”

“Their behavior should neither be allowed nor enabled, and legitimate media outlets who know with every fiber of their being that this is complete crap should know not to get down in the gutter with them and spread their lies,” the Clintons said in a statement. “But if anyone isn’t sure, let’s strap all three to a polygraph machine on live TV and let the needle tell the truth.”

But whatever role he might serve in the White House in 2016, Bill Clinton isn’t saying much. He has refused to speak on the issue, saying only that Hillary hasn’t made a decision yet.