Sorry, Hillary and Bernie: Obama Won't Endorse You

President will steer clear of 2016 race until a Democratic nominee is chosen
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 10, 2016 8:54 AM CST
Sorry, Hillary and Bernie: Obama Won't Endorse You
In this Oct. 13, 2015, file photo, Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders speak during the Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas.   (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

If you're waiting breathlessly for the current commander in chief to weigh in on who among the Democratic candidates should succeed him, well, don't hold your breath. President Obama won't be endorsing either his former secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, or Bernie Sanders, reports Reuters. "That's not our job. That's the job of the party to make those decisions and then they'll take a look at the agendas and the positions of those candidates," said White House chief of staff Denis McDonough on Sunday. "Then we'll make some final decisions. ... Well, we'll do exactly what has been done in the past, which is when the nominee will be set, then the president will be out there."

This though McDonough says the president has certainly met with both candidates in private recently, notes Politico. "He has seen Senator Sanders, both with the Senate Democratic Caucus and privately," says McDonough. "And so, we'll continue to do that. He's obviously a leading senator in our caucus and we'll continue to do just that." (More Bernie Sanders stories.)

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