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Washington: Seeking to temper a push by supporters to force her onto the Democratic presidential ticket with Senator Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton issued a statement on Thursday saying that she is not pushing to be vice president, and that the decision is Obama's to make.
"While Senator Clinton has made clear throughout this process that she will do whatever she can to elect a Democrat to the White House, she is not seeking the vice presidency, and no one speaks for her but her," Clinton's campaign said in a statement. "The choice here is Senator Obama's and his alone."
Way to unite party
The statement comes as some of Clinton's leading backers - including members of Congress, top financial contributors, and advisers - have begun pushing aggressively for Obama to tap Clinton as his Number Two as a way to unite the divided Democratic Party after the gruelling primary contest. Clinton herself, in a conference call with fellow New York lawmakers earlier this week, reportedly said she would be open to the idea.
But in the so-called veepstakes, publicly vying for the job is considered impolitic and the wrong way to actually get picked. Thus Clinton's disavowal of her supporters' efforts should not be read as a definitive statement that she would refuse an invitation to run with Obama.
The Illinois senator, asked about the possibility of asking Clinton to join the ticket, repeated on Thursday what he has been saying for weeks - that Clinton "would be on anybody's short list," but that it was far too soon to make judgments about a running mate.
"I have nothing but respect for Senator Clinton and what she's going to contribute to this party," Obama said in an interview with CNN.
Obama, who clinched the nomination on Tuesday, called it "the most important decision that I will make before I am president", and said he would be "deliberate and systematic about it, because this will be my final counsellor when I am making decisions in the White House, and I want to make sure I get it right".
Need to avoid pressure
"I am a big believer in making decisions well, not making them fast and not responding to pressure," added Obama, who campaigned on Thursday in Virginia with three other possible running mates, former governor Mark Warner, current Governor Tim Kaine, and Senator Jim Webb.
Analysts say there are many variables in selecting running mates, including their relationship with the candidate, the political importance of their home state, the constituencies they represent, and whether they fill a perceived strategic hole.
Steve McMahon, a Democratic strategist who helped lead Howard Dean's 2004 campaign, said Obama, given his freshness in Washington, may look to someone more seasoned in national security and Beltway politics.
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| This article on the national political campaigns in the United States is from The New York Times. It was specially selected and prepared by the editors of The New York Times News Service. |
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