Hill's Still in, But Bill's a Potential Problem
With a win in yesterday's Montana primary and the more significant public endorsements of Democratic superdelegates, Barack Obama easily moved past the count of 2,118 delegates needed to clinch the party's presidential nomination. The Associated Press (AP) reported that Obama has secured at least 2,154 delegates.
Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a longtime supporter of Hillary Clinton, Obama's challenger, told the AP, "I am the last of the Mohicans, but it is over."
Clinton told a New York crowd that she will consult with party leaders and supporters in the next several days, but did not indicate that she has ended her quest for the Democratic presidential nomination.
"This is a long campaign and I will be making no decisions tonight," Clinton said Tuesday night.
"She is still a candidate for president and is still making her case as to why she should be the nominee for president," spokesman Mo Elleithee said, according to a Reuters report. "She's going to be taking the next couple of days to make her case to delegates, to unpledged delegates and superdelegates and take stock after that."
"Now that the voting's over, she has the ability to go to these remaining delegates and say look at where we stand. Look at who closed stronger," Elleithee told Reuters.
Bloomberg reporters Catherine Dodge and Kim Chipman wrote that Clinton remains open to the idea of being Obama's running mate in the fall election -- but that plan may be problematic.
"If she were considered as vice president, her husband, former President Bill Clinton, might have to release all records of contributions to his foundation and presidential library and agree not to give paid speeches, according to a person close to the Obama campaign," the Bloomberg reporters noted.
"That could prove a major impediment to her being selected. Bill Clinton, who has made some $52 million from giving speeches over the past seven years, has said he won't disclose details on past contributions, only those going forward." the reporters added.