Hillary Clinton: "No Doubt" Obama Will Win

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday on CBS News' The Early Show that Barack Obama is going to be elected the next president and that she has "no doubt" about it.

Clinton also said that while she recognizes that race and gender play a role in the minds of voters as they make their presidential choices, she believes enough people want change from Republican policies to put Obama over the top in November.

In the interview, Clinton was asked what she thought about Republican Sarah Palin's vice presidential candidacy. She said she thought any woman is going to face certain issues and questions but that "the bottom line is who is on top of the ticket." (

Clinton called Republican presidential nominee John McCain a friend, but said that he has a record of supporting deregulation of business.

"Barack Obama's going to win. No doubt ... if anybody looks at the mess we're in today," she told co-anchor Harry Smith.

She also said that she thinks Obama is best suited to straighten out the country's economic problems.

"Barack Obama is being advised by the same peopole who got us out of the ditch in 1993," she said. "I think our ticket is well-eauipped for handling the mess that theuy're going to inherit. Let's make no mistake about it: this is going to be one of the most difficult presidential transitions."

Clinton was also asked about the administration's plans for a $700 billion government program to stabilize the country's distressed financial markets.

Clinton said she agrees that the situation is critical and that something must be done quickly. She said, "the house is on fire and we've got to call the fire department and put the fire out." But Clinton also said that Congress should not "give the Treasury a blank check" to straighten out the problem.