Mitt vs. Hillary? Governor expects her to be nominee

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a Republican considering a run for the White House, says he expects New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to be the 2008 Democratic presidential nominee.

"I think the most likely to get the nomination, of course, is Hillary Clinton," he said during a Christian Science Monitor-sponsored luncheon with reporters on Thursday.

As for his own prospects, Romney brushed aside suggestions his being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints could be a handicap if he seeks the GOP nomination.

"The great majority of Americans . . . couldn't care less what my religion is," he said. He noted he has won support in Massachusetts, a state with many Catholic voters, and said religion did not hamper his father George Romney's 1968 presidential candidacy.