Adviser: Clinton campaign would contrast some with Obama

Hillary Clinton would draw some contrasts with President Obama in a presidential campaign but “for the most part” agrees with his thinking, said White House adviser John Podesta, who is seen as in line to become Clinton’s campaign chairman. 

“I’m sure she’ll have some different views from the president,” Podesta told Reuters in an interview published Wednesday. “The president understands that, I think, expects that.”

{mosads}”I’m sure there will be differences, but for the most part I think that she respects greatly what the president’s been able to accomplish with respect to the economy, national security and healthcare in particular,” Podesta added. “They both have a progressive view of what it’s going to take to try to ensure that the economy’s working for the middle class.”

As he has indicated before, Podesta said that he would leave the White House in early Feburary, after the State of the Union is over. “If she decides to run, I told her I’d do anything I can to help her,” he said. He added that it is  “up to her” whether he served as chairman of the campaign. 

In a November interview on “Charlie Rose,” Podesta was asked if he speaks to Clinton and replied, “You know, I talk to her from time to time.”

The extent to which Clinton will distance herself from Obama in a campaign has been one of the major questions looking forward. The one main instance of distancing so far, an August interview in The Atlantic where Clinton referred to the “failure” of the Obama administration to arm Syrian rebels, as she advocated as secretary of State, led to something of an uproar among Democrats. 

Clinton has recently backed Obama on negotiations with Iran and in his administration’s relationship with Israel. She has spoken out on climate change, and backed Obama’s move to open relations with Cuba, among other issues. 

Whether the economy continues to improve is something of a wild card for the economic messaging.