Caroline Kennedy says she would support Hillary Clinton for president

Reuters

Caroline Kennedy, the current U.S. ambassador to Japan, says she would support Hillary Rodham Clinton if the former secretary of state seeks the presidency in 2016, and she hopes Clinton decides to run.

Kennedy and her late uncle, former Sen. Ted Kennedy, endorsed President Barack Obama in 2008 rather than Clinton, a significant move in that closely contested campaign for the Democratic nomination.

Kennedy said in a series of media interviews aired yesterday from Japan, where Obama was visiting, that she hopes Clinton will run. Kennedy told ABC News she would support Clinton's candidacy "if she runs." Speaking in a separate interview with NBC News, Kennedy said she thought Clinton would be a "great" choice.

Clinton's daughter Chelsea last week announced her pregnancy, which also drew speculation about Clinton's future and whether she would run.

"I know it sounds like a cliche, but two years is a really long time in politics," Kennedy told ABC. "I'm sure she's looking forward to being a grandmother, I know she's got to decide soon."

As for her own political ambitions, Kennedy said she is not planning to run for office. "I doubt that I would ever run in the United States," she told NBC.