Washington: Barack Obama would be re-elected in 2012 US Presidential elections, feels former President Bill Clinton, who applauded the incumbent for his energy policies and efforts to reduce unemployment rate.

"I think he`ll be re-elected," Hillary told the popular PBS NewsHour yesterday when asked about the winning prospects of Obama, whose approval ratings are currently low.
His remarks came on the day when the White House dismissed speculation that Obama may opt for his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as his vice presidential candidate for the 2012 elections in place of incumbent Joe Biden. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney made it clear at his daily news conference yesterday that Obama and Biden will "be on the ticket next year" and voiced confidence that they will be taking the oath of office in January 2013.
Bill Clinton, during the interview, praised Obama`s presidential record.
"He will be re-elected, because I think the unemployment rate will continue to drop," he said.
"I think that, as we all know, it`s a little understated because about six per cent of the people who were in the workforce in 2000 have dropped out; they`ve quit looking for jobs. And we know there`s a huge number of Americans with part-time jobs who really want full-time jobs. But it does show progress, and it shows progress in the private sector," Clinton said. "So if we can continue this, I don`t think it`ll be a big drag because the American people are kind of recalibrating. Right now, President Obama is going to have to run against himself. In tough times, nobody can defeat himself. That is, he`s running against everything everybody felt when -- before the financial crash. When we get a choice, I think he`ll do fine," said the former President.
Clinton said he agrees with the general thrust of Obama`s polices.
"And I think, particularly in the energy area, he`s done a very good job. My sense was that the partisan political climate in Washington was such that the only people listening to either side were people that already agreed with them," he said.
"And so what I wanted to do was say, look at the last 30 years. Look what our competitors are doing. There is no example on the planet of a successful economy with broadly shared prosperity and a shrinking, weak government. You can have a small, lean government. But they`re all strong. They`re all working in partnership. What works are these partnerships, these networks," he noted.
PTI