A decision will be made in due time, she said. In response to a question from the audience, Whitman did not rule out the possibility of even higher office than the Senate. Whitman, a moderate Republican, also used the national forum to defend abortion rights and gays as well as her own handling of the controversy over alleged racial profiling by the New Jersey State Police. The New Jersey Governor said feminists were quick to condemn Republicans accused of sexual misconduct, like Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and former Oregon Sen. Bob Packwood. You have to be consistent in condemning patterns of behavior that demean women.
Feminists have a challenge in regaining a sense of consistency.
Clinton was impeached by the House in December and acquitted by the Senate last month in connection with his efforts to conceal a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky, a young White House intern. Most recently, an Arkansas woman publicly accused Clinton of raping her some 21 years ago, a charge Clinton's lawyers say is untrue. Whitman also was asked whether the New York Yankees will move to New Jersey, a prospect she said was unlikely. Used with permission.