any hedging

[flowersa]

Hi, What is "Hedging" here? Maybe another word for it, will help me to understand ...

"So you will not run for president or vice president in 2008?” Russert pressed. “I will not,” Obama said. Axelrod was pleased with Obama’s answer- any hedging would have unleashed a tsunami of distracting
speculation."

[emsr2d2]

Hi, What is "Hedging" here? Maybe another word for it, will help me to understand ...

"So you will not run for president or vice president in
2008?” Russert pressed. “I will not,” Obama said. Axelrod was pleased with Obama’s answer- any hedging would have unleashed a tsunami of distracting
speculation."

In this context, it would mean "giving a vague answer". On this particular topic, he needed to give a clear definitive answer in order to avoid a lot of speculation.

[bhaisahab]

Hi, What is "Hedging" here? Maybe another word for it, will help me to understand ...

"So you will not run for president or vice president in 2008?” Russert pressed. “I will not,” Obama said. Axelrod was pleased with Obama’s answer- any hedging would have unleashed a tsunami of distracting
speculation."

Look at the second definition here: hedge verb - definition in British English Dictionary & Thesaurus - Cambridge Dictionary Online

[flowersa]

In this context, it would mean "giving a vague answer". On this particular topic, he needed to give a clear definitive answer in order to avoid a lot of speculation.

Thanks Emsr2d2 I was struggling with this word

[SoothingDave]

When you hedge your bets, you do not bet everything on one outcome. Instead, you spread your bets around so that you have better odds of not being a total loser. (Of course, you are never a total winner either.)

Politicians often try to hedge in their answers, to avoid making decisions so that they do not disappoint anybody and can not be accused of "flip flopping" on an issue.

[BobSmith]

[not a teacher]

I might have used "hem-hawing" in this instance, but now that I look it up, it is a stand-alone idiom, perhaps better as as "hemming and hawing".