WP, pg1: Obama Signaled Early That He Was Unlikely To Choose Ex-Rival
By Anne E. Kornblut
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 26, 2008; A01
MOLINE, Ill., Aug. 25 -- In a private meeting with Sen. Barack Obama after she conceded the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton made a request: that he consider her for his vice presidential running mate, but not put her through the charade of being vetted if he was not serious. Obama told Clinton then it was unlikely he would choose her, people familiar with the conversation said. Obama did not want to lead her on and, after campaigning against her for more than a year, already had a sense that their pairing would not be the right fit.
As Clinton prepares for her address to the Democratic convention Tuesday night, Obama's decision to pass her over remains central to the ongoing story of their strained relationship. It has also contributed to what associates say has been a difficult emotional period for the former first lady in the two months since ending her bid. One adviser described her as outright "depressed" in July, while another said she was "moving forward" and a third said she has simply been trying to get through November before making decisions about where next to take her life....
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Clinton, aware that she was essentially out of the running, did not dwell on pursuing the vice presidency. She turned to helping Obama campaign where she could, making public appearances on his behalf and raising money for him -- before arriving in Denver, where she turned to the mammoth task of persuading her most intransigent supporters to back her former rival. Obama advisers privately said what the presumptive nominee said aloud: that they were satisfied with her efforts and grateful that she was helping push back against Sen. John McCain, who is running an advertisement, titled "Passed Over," criticizing Obama for not picking Clinton. On Monday, she countered with: "I'm Hillary Clinton, and I do not approve that message."
Clinton aides said she is genuine in her desire to see Obama elected, and not simply because she is a committed partisan. She has looked for opportunities to help Obama "both because she wants a Democrat in the White House and because she does not want to be blamed if we don't have one," one confidante said. "She wants to go above and beyond to ensure that if it doesn't happen, nobody points the finger at her."...
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Clinton has begun thinking about how to harness the support she earned this year and is weighing how to be not only a leader of women but also a populist voice, advisers said...."She's emerged from this campaign as an even more powerful force, and she's going to map out a strategy where she can make a difference in people's lives," said Rep. Jim McGovern (Mass.), a staunch Clinton advocate during the primaries...."She's come to appreciate that for a lot of people in this country life is tough and they're looking for a champion, looking for a voice. And people are counting on her and expecting big things from her even if she's not going to be the nominee."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/25/AR2008082503024_pf.html
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