Clinton Concedes Role in Authorizing War

U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., speaks during a town hall meeting, Saturday, Jan. 27, 2007, at East High School in Des Moines, Iowa. Clinton has formed an exploratory committee in advance of formally announcing her candidacy for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) (Charlie Neibergall - AP)

DES MOINES, Iowa -- New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton blamed President Bush on Saturday for misusing authority given him by Congress to act in Iraq, but conceded "I take responsibility" for her role in allowing that to happen.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Clinton also said she would not cede black votes to Barack Obama and that she had proven as a U.S. senator that gender is irrelevant.

Of her husband, the former president, she said he would have a role in the campaign but "I'm the one running for president."

Clinton was making her first campaign swing through this early nominating state, which twice voted for Bill Clinton for president. She met with key activists and held a raucous town hall meeting with 1,500 cheering backers and hundreds of journalists.

"I have said clearly and consistently for quite some time that I regret the way the president misused the authority," said Clinton. "He misled Congress and the country on what he was seeking and what he intended to do."

The responsibility Clinton said she accepts was helping clear the way for Bush's path in Iraq.

"I take responsibility for having voted to give him that authority," she said. "My focus is on what we do now. That is the proper debate."

In the interview:

_Clinton said she expected to attract black votes even though Obama, the freshman Illinois senator, has caught fire. "I'm going to be asking for the votes of all Americans," she said.

_Her husband will play a key role in her campaign, though she'll make it clear she's the candidate. "At the end of the day when voters make up their mind, I will have a great team around me, including him," she said.

_Her experience in a failed health care reform effort in the White House does not dampen her effort to again deal with the issue. "I think it makes me a more effective messenger," she said. "I now what the roadblocks and obstacles are."

_Clinton expressed confidence voters are ready to elect a woman president. "It's one of those issues that evolves over time," she said. "I'm very confident I can see it unfold."