CNN

September 20th, 2011

Former President Bill Clinton with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on 2012 Politics

At the Clinton Global Initiative in New York, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer sat down with former President Bill Clinton today to discuss 2012 politics.  This interview will air during CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer on CNN from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET.  A highlight from the interview is below and a full transcript of the program will be posted at CNN.com/transcripts.

Please credit all usage of the interview to CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer

Highlight from Full Interview
THIS IS A RUSH FDCH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, CNN’S “THE SITUATION ROOM”:  Do you think these — these — you said some of the Republican candidates are more moderate than the others.  Let’s talk about that for a second.  Who do you like and who are you concerned about, not from the political standpoint, but from the standpoint of America’s future?

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES:  Well, it appears that Governor Huntsman and Governor Romney, at least, have not come out in just flat out denial of climate change.  It appears that — that Governor Huntsman said he supported the compromise to raise the debt ceiling because America couldn’t afford the economic consequences.

BLITZER:  So — so what I hear you saying is you’d be happier if Romney or Huntsman got the nomination than Rick Perry?

CLINTON:  Well, it’s not up to me to pick — that’s a — they’ll both lose if anybody thinks I’ve endorsed them.  I’m just saying that I appreciate the fact that — that they’re trying to navigate a landscape that bears almost no relationship to what’s produced successful economies in the world.  And there are lots of countries that are — that are now doing better than we are in some areas because of the very ideas that apparently you have to support to get the nomination.

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