By Caren Bohan
CHICAGO - An influential supporter of Barack Obama said Hillary Clinton has the experience to be the Illinois senator’s running mate, but questioned whether the pair had the right chemistry.
“She has the qualities to do it: experience, the millions of votes she got, her political strength,” New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson told El Pais, Spain’s main daily newspaper.
Richardson, who has also been mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate, added, “it’s important that the president and the vice president have a personal chemistry to work together, and I don’t know, after these divisive primaries, if there is that chemistry between them.”
The grueling 16-month struggle for the Democratic nomination came to an end on Tuesday when Obama captured the number of delegates needed to become the nominee.
The battle was marked by sometimes sharp attacks, such as when Clinton ran an ad this spring raising doubts about whether Obama had the experience needed to answer a 3 a.m. crisis phone call in the White House. Obama responded by saying Clinton’s vote to authorize the Iraq war undercut her own argument about experience.
At times, in their debates, the tension between Obama, an Illinois senator, and Clinton, a New York senator, was palpable, although they both referred to one another as friends.
Clinton did not concede the race to Obama right away, but has since announced an event on Saturday where she will formally back him. The two met in Washington on Thursday night, in a gathering that had an aura of intrigue after Obama slipped away from his traveling press corps to visit with her.
Rchardson knows better than most how bitter the Democratic presidential race became.
The governor, who also ran for president but dropped out earlier in the primaries, has described a tense phone call he had with Clinton when he told her he was throwing his support to Obama.
Clinton supporter James Carville publicly called Richardson a “Judas,” suggesting he was disloyal for not supporting the former first lady. Richardson was a senior official in former President Bill Clinton’s administration.
Richardson, a Latino who has been helping Obama court Hispanic voters, is often mentioned as a possible running mate for Obama. He is a former energy secretary and former ambassador to the United Nations who would bring foreign policy experience to the ticket.
Richardson said he is not pushing for the vice presidential job, though he “would consider it.”
“I’m very happy in New Mexico and I’m not going to do any lobbying or asking for positions,” he said.
Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.
Photo credit: Reuters/Richard Clement (Obama and Richardson laugh at news conference)
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[...] co-founder/editor-in-chief Arianna Huffington may not have been a personal supporter of Hillary Clinton for the Democratic party nomination (HuffPost didn’t endorse a candidate), but she has kind [...]
- Posted by Clinton in 2012? Why not, Huffington says. | President-Obama.com[...] co-founder/editor-in-chief Arianna Huffington may not have been a personal supporter of Hillary Clinton for the Democratic party nomination (HuffPost didn’t endorse a candidate), but she has kind [...]
- Posted by For President » Blog Archive » Clinton in 2012? Why not, Huffington says.Susan
- Posted by just4545If you would like to, you can WRITE IN HILLARY CLINTON FOR PRESIDENT. Check with your local election board. I did and found out how to do it on the touch-screen machines.
I will only vote for Obama if HILLARY CLINTON is his running mate. I won’t vote for McCain, so if Hillary is not chosen I won’t be voting at all.
- Posted by susan silvermanJackson, very well stated and I agree!
“He’s charismatic, yes, but charisma is more a requirement for preaching in tents to snake-handlers, tongue-speakers, and dirt-rollers, or for luring members of the prime cult-bait demographic (young, white, well-educated) with which he has had so much luck to date. Leaders need charisma, and vision, but those had better be backed up by an intelligent plan of some sort.
He is already overreaching himself with his two-term president remark. As well, his manner most recently is more reminiscent of a hyperactive 5 year old off his Ritalin and this really won’t appeal to anyone over a certain age. “
- Posted by just4545Ken:
- Posted by just4545Yes, Hillary’s campaigning for Obama which might bring along part of her army of 18,000,000, but not this one nor any of my family. We shall WRITE IN HILLARY CLINTON FOR PRESIDENT! I can be done in a variety of ways, even on the touch screen machines.
The way I see it, the party abandoned Hillary Clinton when the DNC and the Supers awarded the nomination to Obama, I owe them or Obama NOTHING!
I will not support the DNC, nor any of the other Dem organizations. My Supers who did not support Hillary, will never again get my vote. I look forward to voting out one in particular this Fall. He can kiss his congressional seat goodbye!
I think her “talents” could be better served fighting the Republican machine she has claimed to be so accustomed to. Leave the White House to President Obama.( I like the way that sounds)
- Posted by caliroboDoes it really matter who Obama chooses? For that matter does it really matter who becomes our next president? Given the candidates that we now have to choose from, and the fact that their agendas and policies will be dictated by big business, do you really think we’ll get anything that much different than what we have now. I don’t! Until we reform the entire process of electing a president and take corporations out of the mix all we will get is more of the same. The rich and elite run this country and will protect their interests at all costs. Making America the kind of country that cares about it’s citizens is not a priority to these people, and if you think it will be when McCain or Obama is in the White House I believe you are mistaken.
- Posted by MarlaTHE VICE PRESIDENT IS LOOKED AT… FIRST, BY THE PRESIDENT.WHO UNDOUBTLY HAS HIS BACK. AS A PARTNER WORKING WITH ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD. AND SECONDLY,WHO WOULD HE(THE PRES.) VOTE FOR. BECAUSE IF HE DIES, THAT’S WHO WILL BE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.A FORMER CLINTON SUPPORTER BUT STILL A DEMOCRAT.I AM NOW A OBAMA SUPPORTER. I WILL VOTE FOR MY PARTY.IF CLINTON ACCEPTED VP SHE COULD NOT RUN FOR PRESIDENT FOR EIGHT YEARS IN 2017. THAT WOULD MAKE HER KNOCKING ON 70 ANY WAY.
- Posted by Dusty HendersonNo Clinton No Obama. Get the picture!!!!
- Posted by J GrobmeierIf Hillary hits the campain trail for Obama, then he will recieve the 18 million votes that she has aquired. He doesn’t NEED her as a running mate to get those votes. Also, if we are really tired of the Bush years, then we should all vote for Obama, because McCain has already stated that he would continue Bush’s polices.
- Posted by KenI dunno, sounds like a no brainer to me.
I hope Obama can find a great female VP. Seeing him standing there with Gov. Richardson just makes me think more “old men’s network.”
- Posted by MaryI think it would be a mistake to have her on the ballot as a Veep. I don’t trust her, she is selfish and would only do it for personal gain and not to work with him. Her true motives and hidden agenda is very apparent given that she has yet to concede the race. If she truly was thinking about the Dem Party she wouldn’t think twice about rallying her 18m supporters to back Obama. I would go so far as to speculate that Obama may lose some of his supporters should her choose to have her on the ticket. Besides the lack of chemistry between them, I think she will be one heck of a nag. Don’t forget the Bill-Factor, do we really want him running around the DC with nothing to do. Talk about a Republican fantasy!!!…She should stay as a senator if she truly wants to make changes.
- Posted by PCorea