President Clinton Defends Wife After Edwards's Remarks

WASHINGTON — Senator Clinton's presidential campaign may have been silent for two days following criticism from Elizabeth Edwards, but President Clinton wasn't going to miss a chance to defend his wife.

"I don't think she's trying to be a man," a grinning Mr. Clinton said yesterday in an appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America." The former president was responding to a suggestion by Mrs. Edwards in a Salon.com interview earlier this week that Mrs. Clinton, under pressure to project strength and toughness as a presidential candidate, was not speaking out loudly enough on women's issues. In expressing sympathy for the senator's situation, Mrs. Edwards — the wife of a Democratic presidential hopeful, John Edwards — insinuated that the former first lady might be trying to reassure voters that she is "as good as a man."

"Sometimes you feel you have to behave as a man and not talk about women's issues," she said. "I'm sympathetic — she wants to be commander in chief. But she's just not as vocal a women's advocate as I want to see. John is."

Mr. Clinton said he understood that Mrs. Edwards supported her husband, but he disagreed with her view.

"I don't think it's inconsistent with being a woman that you can also be knowledgeable about military and security affairs and be strong when the occasion demands it," Mr. Clinton said. "I don't consider that being manly. I consider that being a leader."

The former president said he liked Mrs. Edwards and admired her attitude as she struggles with cancer, but he defied anyone to find a person with a longer history of working for women's issues than Mrs. Clinton.