Hillary Clinton and her husband, former US president Bill Clinton, are hinting that they might pick Barack Obama as candidate for the vice-presidency. This weekend Bill Clinton said this kind of combination would be "an almost unstoppable force." But the Obama camp is much less enthusiastic about the prospect of a joint ticket.
On Saturday, 8 March, Barack Obama won the caucus in Wyoming. Being the least populated state of the union, not much was at stake in Wyoming, but Obama extended his lead, gaining three more delegates.
Premature
Tom Daschle, a former Democrat leader in the Senate and an Obama supporter, says the Clintons' suggestion that Obama would be a very strong running mate for Hillary is premature and disrespectful. Mr Daschle said,
"It's really a rare occurrence, maybe the first time in history that the person who's running as number two is offering the person who is number one the number two position. What Barack has said is that it is way premature, he doesn't have any interest in being vice president. He's going to be our presidential nominee."
Democratic contenders
Clinton and Obama |
Hillary Clinton first tested the idea of Obama as her vice-presidential candidate after her primary victories last Tuesday in Ohio and Texas. On Saturday, Bill Clinton said in Mississippi, where a primary will be held on Tuesday, that the voter contingents backing his wife and Obama would form an almost unstoppable force if combined.
That's quite a different tune from the one Hillary was singing just a week ago. Then she claimed that Republican candidate John McCain is better suited for the White House than her fellow Democrat Obama:
"I think that I have a lifetime of experience that I will bring to the White House. I know Senator McCain has a lifetime of experience that he will bring to the White House. And Senator Obama has a speech he gave in 2002."
Commander-in-chief
Senator John Kerry was the Democratic candidate in 2004. He is now supporting Obama. The standard argument that presidential candidates give for their choice of running mate is that as vice-president, the person in question would be able to take over the government at once in a crisis. Senator Kerry sneers somewhat when he comments on how Mr Obama appears suddenly to have become a viable commander-in-chief:
"Well, the first threshold question about a vice president is, are you prepared to be president? You pass the threshold. So, on the one hand they're saying he is not prepared to be president, on the other they're saying maybe you ought to be vice president. You can't have the argument both ways. That's exactly the politics that Barack Obama is running to change."
Kerry and others in the Obama camp view the Clintons' overtures as a trick to lure Obama supporters in states that have not yet voted.
Dispute
In two states where votes have already been held, Michigan and Florida, a dispute is going on about the results. The Democrat party is refusing to recognise the outcome because the two states moved their primaries forward, which is not allowed.
The Democratic candidates did not campaign in Michigan and Florida, in fact only Hillary Clinton's name was on the ballot papers in these states. She emerged as the winner, and now she wants the results from these states and their delegates to be recognised. That's impossible, according to national Democrat chair Howard Dean. But it is increasingly likely that Michigan and Florida will be allowed to repeat their primaries.
*RNW translation (rk)
Tags:
Barack Obama,
Hillary Clinton,
John Kerry,
John McCain,
Mississippi,
primaries,
running mate,
vice-president,
Wyoming
Sandra,
19-03-2008
- Nederlands
MALI, I would appreciated it if you did not refer Mr. Barack Obama as "OBAMABOY" again! Do we have to go back to the slave days for you to understand why calling a black man "boy" is a racial slur?
VeganGypsie,
10-03-2008
-
MALI, get over it, your candidate has lost, and won't be winning without what will be perceived as cheating, unfair influence. The media may have been biased for Obama to begin with, but when Hillary accused them of it, they bent over backwards the other way. They even say she won Texas, when it was he that won more delegates there. She had a small lead in the primary portion and he had a bigger lead in the caucus portion.
vote4thebest,
10-03-2008
- US
Obama and his supporters forget that with the huge amount of ratio of spending and the big MO that they keep touting, Obama still can't close the deal with the core voters of the Democratic party. People are taking a second look at Obama and how much inconsistencies and lack of transparencies are really there. Obama needs a lot more seasoning and I think that it shows Clinton's maturity to be willing to help train him in the next four years. It is not uncommon to pick a VP from the list of presidential candidates.
Angela,
10-03-2008
-
Shame on Rep. King and on all Clintons' campaigners! About her: I am puzzled. Why can't Mrs. Clinton rather explain what she really did during the last 20 years to truly help Americans and Latinos in particular? I mean something that really counts. Anything ? She is projecting to the world the image of a nasty woman pushed by an incredible hunger for power. NAFTAGate has embarrassed the Canadians and she should apologize, but she won't because anything goes as long as she wins. She just suggested she might well ask Sen. Obama to become her VP. Will she, really? Someone she says would not be ready to be the President of the United States? Another day, another lie. May God protect us from her after 8 years with Bush.
edmund emeka,
10-03-2008
- nigeria
What a comedian, somebody on the verge of losing the popular vote asking someone with wider acceptability and ahead on the vote to be his running mate
Rhonda,
10-03-2008
-
I agree with John Kerry that this notion of Barack becoming her number 2 even though he is #1 is outrageous and disrespectful. Hillary Clinton is a divider on so many levels. She will not be able to unite the party. I think voters should reject this idea.That's all it is is. She hasn't come out and made any commitments, only inuendo. But even if she made a commitment, it wouldn't matter. I choose Barack Obama to be the next president of the US.
Sergei,
10-03-2008
-
Obama should offer Ms.Clinton to become his running mate!
mike,
10-03-2008
- Canada
This is sheer arrogance. How can the person running as number 2 want to pick the number 1 as running mate. I dont know what the Clintons think the are. Don't they listen to the choice of the American people. This arrogance is becoming unbearable.
James George,
10-03-2008
- USA
The Clinton tactics represent more of the same. America wants a fresh start, and that means leaving the Clintons with the Bushes.
Jai,
10-03-2008
- USA
The following article sums up this latest move by the Clintons. Read, enjoy and learn:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-abrams/have-the-clintons-outsmar_b_90576.html
Boz,
10-03-2008
-
Hillary to tell you the truth you are going to loose both the Presidency and Vice Presidency .... American People can't be fooled around by your cheap tricks ... Go and teach nursery school and not matured American people.... From now on you will not win any of the remain elaction and Obama when nominated will choose another running mate ... shame on you
John james,
10-03-2008
- USA
He is not fit to be a commander in chief but he is fit to be Veep. The Clintons are disgusting liars.
MALI,
10-03-2008
-
The ONLY reason we are even talking about Obamaboy is the fact that the press shows complete favoritism and its sickening. No voter wants a candidate shoved down their throat! Cable news pundits are irresponsible predicting Obamas win and MUST stop trying to control what our society thinks and how we vote and stick to reporting facts. It's sickening to hear all the endless chatter about speeches, momentum or charisma. We need facts, solutions and answers, not obama continued lies and diversions to the truth, his lies about telling voters one thing and countries another, appears he took allot of training from his cousin Chaney and Bush. all the geniuses in mainstream media, cable news, need to summon the courage to tell their audiences about important issues and facts before permitting a public coronation of Obama based on race, speeches, momentum or charisma, we need solutions, which seem to be absent from obama. God save us all, our great but troubled United States needs strong, experienced and principled leadership to restore faith in our government and repair its credibility at home and abroad, and to end the destructive policies that have eroded rights for all Americans, women's rights, minorities and civil liberties and increased injustice and inequality in our society. Clinton is just such a leader. She has a long history of support for women's empowerment, and her outstanding long public service record is a testimony to her leadership on issues important to women Afro-Americans, minorities and children around the globe. She has eloquently articulated the need for full economic, political and social equality for everyone in every institution of society, taking action throughout her career - as a lawyer, community leader, 2-term First Lady, Senator and candidate for the presidency - to advance the civil and human rights.
We cannot afford at this time in history to give the presidency away based media coverage of skin color....
HELP Hillary Clinton Make History
Alan,
09-03-2008
- United States
The big problem with the Candidates is that the American People have lost their touch with reality. Most have no understanding of the Great Constitution our Great Country was founded on. Instead, we as a people have been dumbed down to believing we need more government handouts, health care, social engineering and pandering who claim they can do "more for us" our Founding Fathers thought much different that the dregs of society we now have running our Country. What ever happened to rugged individualism, self determination. and picking one self up by one's own boot straps? Charity and help are fine when performed by one who chooses to help another, but when we are forced through the all powerful hand of government, to "pay our fair share", then we as a people deserve what we elected and we will soon find "when the wicked rule, the people mourn".
