Obama hopes to pave way for Clinton,with farewell State of the Union

Though the White House says Obama will not endorse a candidate in the 2016 primary race, there is no doubt that he has long seen Clinton as the best hope for preserving his legacy. In fact, that belief was one reason many people in the administration's inner circle were wary of a run by Vice President Joe Biden. "I think Barack Obama believes that it is incredibly important that Hillary Cinton succeeds him," said a former close aide to Obama who is still connected with the White House. "The only way that we have an economy where people aren't losing their health care is if Hillary Clinton becomes president." Jeff Shesol, who is familiar with the dynamic between a president and his preferred successor after working in the final years of the Clinton White House as a speechwriter, including on the State of the Union address, highlighted Obama's reliance on Clinton for his place in history. "The single most important thing that could happen from here on out for the Obama legacy is the election of Hillary Clinton," he said. Culled from CNN