Breaking News: Barack Obama rejects VP idea

Campaigning in Casper, Wyo., Friday night for the 12 delegates to come out of Saturday's Democratic county caucuses, Sen. Barack Obama refused the notion of becoming the vice presidential candidate on this fall's party ticket.

Obama was asked by a television reporter, "Can you ever see yourself on the same ticket as Sen. Clinton?"

And the freshman Illinois senator replied: "Well, you know, I think it’s premature. You won’t see me as a vice presidential candidate. You know, I’m running for president. We have won twice as many states as Senator Clinton, and have a higher popular vote, and I think we can maintain our delegate count."

Many Democrats have long thought of Obama-Clinton or Clinton-Obama as a dream ticket, offering both the first serious female candidate and the first serious African American candidate for the nation's top two political offices.

Clinton surprisingly broached the idea Wednesday morning after she won the popular vote in Texas and Ohio to regain some momentum after 11 straight ...

losses, though she still lags far behind in pledged delegates. She mentioned the possibility of a joint ticket again Friday morning during a campaign appearance in Mississippi.

Last night was the first time Obama commented on the idea.

It's political protocol when presidential candidates are asked about the vice presidency to twist the question back around to the top office and avoid a direct answer. But Obama's response last night was unusually direct and dismissive.

The 46-year-old candidate is expected to do well in Wyoming today, as he has done in virtually every caucus state. Wyoming, as The Ticket noted here in detail Friday, is not the most hospitable territory for Democrats.

Eleven months ago during an appearance on "The David Letterman Show," Obama said, "You don't run for second place. I don't believe in that." See his Friday statement for yourself on Billings TV station KTVQ, but only if you can sit through an interminable local vinyl fence ad with Danny, who seems strangely eager to hide his face beneath a dirty baseball cap. 

(UPDATE: For the latest Wyoming caucus results -- Obama was victorious -- The Times' Robin Abcarian has full details in her story from Cheyenne here.)

-- Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[missy chicago voter]

If Obama really meant what he said on his stump speeches, and it works out that Hillary wins, he would jump at the chance to be second on the ticket. He could spend the time traveling the world, making connections with foreign governments and helping to remake America in the eyes of the world. He could help create that change he keeps talking about. He could use the VP as the platform to cultivate the youngest and next generation of voters, motivating them to become involved in the political process, and helping them to change the way politics is done in this country.

But, you are right, he is arrogant and inexperienced, and would allow his pride to prevent him from seizing a golden opportunity. If he is worth his salt, his change message would transform from talk to action, and he would have the track record he now sorely lacks.

Well, he can always come back here to Illinois and invest the lion's share of his time in voting present and failing to speak out on issues that might be politically risky for him.

[Lecky]

Excel: You haven't seen Hilary's face recently, obviously.
"Kinder, gentler", please! With all due respect, this election is not about America, it's about Hilary. She is, yes, unscrupulously formidable and vindictive. You all in America will be electing Bill Clinton for a 3rd term. Obama is only shallow to white racists. It is a good thing you have a so-called democracy, you don't have to vote for anyone if you don't want to. It is the history of America to fight dirty. We here in Canada are far more civilized. This is the reason why the world hates America. Until someone else who wins the presidency fairly and squarely, that red phone will be ringing 24hours from now on. The world has changed and America has become smaller. Good luck to you all.j

[rplat]

Wonderful!

Having Hillary and Obama run together equates to putting Marx and Lenin on the same ticket. This is becoming more and more frightening as each day passes. Get ready for a long, hard, bare knuckles fight.

[Roderick Hudson]

Raise the question to Hilary. Is she willing to be VP. Obama is leading; therefore, the question is inappropriate. The media is turning sour on Obama. Obama is more that qualified, period. In all occasion he has out debated Hilary. Fact, most Americans are able to see through Hilary. She is a front and can’t be trusted. Releasing her taxes is proof .

[ann gubser]

Regarding the vetting question:
What about the Clinton's tax returns, Clinton foundation income, $5,000,000. loan..........Conflicts of interest?

[Clif Whitney]

I am glad to see that there are other Americans who can see the utter IDIOCY of saying Obama is not fit to answer a phone in a crisis, and then turning right around and implying that you would have him as your VP in a position where he would what? --- Possibly have to answer the red phone if there were a crisis? Can someone so illogical and hypocritical be trusted to answer the red phone in a crisis?

[Liv Manto]

The comments about Hillary are downright mean and nasty. Where is the humanity among the young generation, have they lost enough contact with human beings and have relied on computer war games and internet chat to feel enough sympathy for any person?
All those talk about records and secrecy. Let me tell you something young folks, someday you would have to deal with making mature decisions too. All those talk about transparency does not work, just look at you right now. If you ever see Rezko's dealing with Obama right now, do you think you would still be with Obama? Of course not, because most of you are idealist fools. Between Hillary putting food on my table and Hillary being ousted for keeping secrets, Id rather have her keep her secrets and put my food on my table. Thats all there is young folks. Stop spending time on the internet, get real human contact.

[Goldie]

Hillary should not be on an Obama ticket. And Obama should not be on hers. For heavens sake, she is so erratic. First she claims John McCain would be the better commander in chief. Then she wants Obama on her ticket? Obama is too smart to be on the ticket with a candidate like that. She is not running a good campaign. She is not very organized. He knows she would drag down his ticket wither all her potential scandals. She won't even let herself be vetted by releasing her tax returns. And it would be a terrible time being her VP. Just like Gore. He was dragged down in his quest for the Presidency by all the Clinton scandals. Obama is too smart to fall into the same trap.

[libby]

I see the Obamatons are in here trying their best to spin. Yeah Hillary is behind in pledged delegates but at the end of the day Hillary will have the majority of the popular vote. Then what??? Who should get the nomination???

I know the Obamatons then will scream if Obama doesn't get the nomination even though Americans chose Hillary as the nominee.

Hypocrites.

[Linda]

The Democrats need to stop blasting each other and take on McCain and his desire to continue the Bush adminstration's torture, illegal spying and this immoral and illegal war in Iraq!
Stop bashing each other and take on the fact that no one is talking about John McCain's flip flops on religion, abortion, even on the War itself. He says we can stay a 100 years for all he cares- our economy is in the toilet from the TRILLIONS they have spent in Iraq! All for Halliburton and Blackwater and Cheney's cronies to make even more filthy money.

Impeach Bush, tell the truth about McCain and stop bashing each other!

[Ryan]

I think all Obama was saying is he expects to be the presidential nominee. There's nothing really unusual or even direct about his answer. He is right not to fall into Clinton's trap of pretending she'd choose him as VP.

[Tom J]

It's all down Hill from here.

[Steve]

I am more concerned about this sham marriage of Hillary and Bill Clinton then I am about anything having to do with Obama. Bill is a security risk for sex...Hillary either knew about it before the public or not. If she didn't know then how does she claim to handle the world when she doesn't know what is in her house. If she knew before and went on national television claiming she would never be with a man who might do that and would leave him if she found out then she is a liar to the public. Why the blinkers everyone? I don't care that he made a decision to be with someone else...I question where he did it in my house and your house.

[Carole]

Hillary Clinton will never put Obama on the ticket as VP. This is just bait for anyone who feels that they are on the fence or that all “hope” is lost so they either don’t feel bad about not voting or getting excited about the Obama campaign. I stand by the old saying “If it’s too good to be true, it usually is”.
Obama would be very wise to see this to the end and “if” this does not end in success to try again in 4 years (Ron Reagan, John McCain) my point is not everyone gets the nomination the first time.
I’m willing to wait.

Obama for President!!

[Jesse Kally-Williams]

How come that a great nation like America has often disappointed her people and the world by voting either mediocre or professional politicians, whose main goal is to make bucks, into the White House? Why is it that this nation with such vast human resources has often proven to be a second-rate nation when it goes to the poll? For the past two decade Americans seem to have stuck with Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton. Many enlightened Americans and peoples across the world are saying that “Thank God, America now has a great opportunity to once again elect a great leader”. Sadly, that possibility is now in jeopardy. It will take another century to have this golden opportunity again. If I were Obama, I will resign from the Senate and go back to the corridor of scientia and infuse students with my ideals. History will certainly vindicate him. If one candidate tells you patronisingly “I will fight for you…”, and another one says “I cannot do it alone, but we together we …”, I will definitely vote for the latter. It was the American historian Richard Hofstadter who wrote after the death of JFK: “You never know the value of what you have had until it is gone”.

[Bush]

Yo,

Do something means:

"
Job cuts were seen in a wide variety of industries in February, suggesting the weakness is spreading far beyond the hard-hit housing sector:

•Manufacturing firms cut 52,000 workers.

•Retailers cut 34,100 workers.

•Construction companies cut 39,000 workers.

•Financial firms, which include insurance and real estate companies, cut 12,000 workers.

"

[James Martin]

The Clintons are attempting to undermine the Democratic National Party bye disregarding the original rules that was set to govern the State Primary Elections. The Clintons only hope is to steal the Democratic Nomination by 1) Including Florida and Michigan votes 2) Utilizing the same old dirty Republican Politics to marginalized Senator Obama greatness 3) Play the race and gender card at their discretion to win 4) Seal all negative records until after he election, which include tax, political paybacks, corporate lobbyist funds, NAFTA, Watergate, and her claim policy accomplishments as first lady 5) The Clintons are to divisive which is why while her husband was the President of the United States she still could not get the necessary support from the Congress and Senate to pass her flawed Universal Healthcare initiative but for some reason she think she can if she become president. 6) What real experience does Hillary Clinton have that Barack Obama does not have to be President of the United States? The answer is Senator Barack have more real experience and he is the reason why there is a movement to change the same politics that her and her husband are great at playing. 7) The Clintons cannot be trusted because they will do or say anything to deceive the public.8) The Clintons use of fear tactics is the exact reason why 1000s of young men and women are loosing their lives in a war that we cannot win in Iraq. This is the same tactics that Bush use to get us in this mess.

The Clintons time have come and gone and I sincerely think Barack Obama will and should be the next President of United States of America. If America wants to see real change then the only change candidate remaining in the race for President is Senator Obama.

[alee21]

That makes it easier. I was unsure how to vote should there be a Clinton-Obama ticket. Now I know. I will vote for Clinton to be president and support whoever will be her vice presidential choice. Obama scares me just as his followers scare me. Hillary should not take the VP slot even if Obama were to offer it to her (which I doubt it since he is so thin-skinned and mean spirited: remember “likable enough”). In the unlikely scenario that Obama will win the presidency, Hillary just has to wait out 4 years, run against Obama and win.

[alee21]

That makes it easier. I was unsure how to vote should there be a Clinton-Obama ticket. Now I know. I will vote for Clinton to be president and support whoever will be her vice presidential choice. Obama scares me just as his followers scare me. Hillary should not take the VP slot even if Obama were to offer it to her (which I doubt it since he is so thin-skinned and mean spirited: remember “likable enough”). In the unlikely scenario that Obama will win the presidency, Hillary just has to wait out 4 years, run against Obama and win.

[MikeZ]

Why would he want to associate himself with the highly corrupt Clintons who almost destroyed the party?

look, it's still his race to lose. Come June he will still be ahead in popular, pledged and states won, and she is desperately flailing about.

What's in the 2006 tax returns she won't release until 5 days before PA, if ever? How about those Iibrary donors, the 11th hour pardons?

The guy at the bus stop beat Hillary Clinton in Nov...she knows it...everyone knows it. You can't win a general when half you own party hates you.

[ohjeez]

Unity ticket?

The same person who has demeaned black voters, exploited the gap between latinos and blacks, mocked men as weak, and now is using Muslims as her latest boogeyman....

This is the same person who is calling for Unity.

The Democratic Party should be ashamed they've let this kind of candidate get as far as they have. I wonder if she were a white man, if he'd have been able to get away with this.

[Ann]

The democrats will win in November no matter who is on the ticket. I think a combined ticket makes sense and will maximize the chances of democrats being in control for the next 16 years. I don't think Obama would turn down VP if Hillary gets the nomination.

This race is not over and it is too close to call at this point. I love Obama but his loss in Ohio was significant. Winning caucuses is not the same as winning large primaries. And as people become more concerned with the economy, I think that they will be more drawn to Hillary. So, early wins are not as relevant as late wins.

[Andy]

The vice presidency is not Hillary's to give. In fact, she seems like she's campaigning to be McCain's Veep.

One day after John McCain received the endorsement of President Bush, Senator Clinton solidified her endorsement of McCain as well. Her recent outright gifts to John McCain include the "who should answer the 3 am phone," ad, which, I am sure, had many people thinking "John McCain." Or her "John and I have full resumes, while Obama only has a speech." Or her latest clear endorsement, "John McCain and I have crossed the threshold to qualify as the CINC." (Evidently, being married to Bill involved him carrying her over the threshold.)

What kind of strategy is this? It sounds suspiciously like "if I can't win, then let my good friend John win - and the Dems be damned!" It also makes one wonder whether she is no more of a long-range thinker than the current president.

While it may not have been obvious before, it certainly should be by now: Hillary is running for president because - in her mind - Hillary deserves to be president. Perhaps in her view, she's played second fiddle to her wayward husband all these years and - "darn it, she is owed this office." She is willing to do anything she feels necessary to get the nomination, including destroying the Democratic Party's chances in this most important election. She has shown that this isn't about the party or the American people, but all about Hillary and what she feels she has coming to her.

In her mind, "it's me or John," and, with McCain's age as a factor, she likely figures she' have another chance in 2012. If, by dint of the superdelegates, she does get the nod, she'll bring the conservatives out in force to vote against her - and against the Democratic House and Senate candidates that will be needed if any progress is to be made on ending the gridlock.

Why would Obama want to be Hill's VP? He has shown the judgment - and the leadership ability, which is what we sorely need in our next president, while Hillary has shown the same old street-fighting instincts she and Bill have honed so well.

Hillary is definitely a fighter - but is she fighting for us?

[fernando]

If HRC wins the nomination I will vote for Nader!! And if Nader is not on the ballot in CA then I will not vote in the general election in November. I would rather not vote at all then vote for HRC!!!

[Hal Bass]

With her outsize wins in Ohio and Texas, Hillary now has the big mo. I don't know what Frederick and Malcolm mean by Hillary's being "far behind" in delegates -- 1424 to 1520 -- but after Pennsylvania and revotes in Florida and Michigan, she'll be the one the superdelegates will be taking to the dance, and not some half-term Cinderella man.