If not Clinton, who could be Madame President?

WASHINGTON -- Unlike any woman before her, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was able to raise record-breaking sums of money, mobilize millions of voters and show she was qualified to be president.

The rise and fall of her quest to be the Democratic nominee begs the question: What will it take to put a woman in the White House?

"It's like, wow, it took this long and if it's not Hillary, then who? And if it's not now, when?" said Democratic pollster Celinda Lake.

It has been more than two decades since another New Yorker, Geraldine Ferraro, ran as Walter Mondale's vice president in 1984, raising hopes among women back then that a Madame President could soon be the next step.

Other women had run before, including New York Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm in 1972, and others ran after, including Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., and former Democratic Sen. Carol Moseley Braun. But none came anywhere near as close as Clinton.

In a speech Tuesday night, Clinton again talked about parents who told their daughters and sons they can be whatever they want to be, and about the women in their 90s who came out to support her.

"They were born before women could vote, and they wanted to be part of making history," she said.

With only 16 women serving in the Senate and eight female governors, experts see a somewhat narrow pipeline for women with presidential potential. Even in state legislatures, where presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama of Illinois served before being elected a senator in 2004, the percentage of women has hovered in the low-to-mid-20s for the last decade.

"It may be awhile before we see this again," said Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. "It's a thick glass ceiling."

Ideally, the next female contenders would have executive experience and crossover appeal, would come from a large state and would have an established fundraising network, experts say. Military or foreign relations credentials also would help.

It's possible Clinton could run again in 2012 if Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican nominee, is in the White House.