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Nelson Pushes Clinton As Obama's Choice For Vice President

Tribune photo by COLIN HACKLEY

Sen. Bill Nelson says Barack Obama should pick Hillary Clinton as his running mate.

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By CATHERINE DOLINSKI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 16, 2008

TALLAHASSEE - Hillary for VP. That's the message from Sen. Bill Nelson, who has been widely rumored to be a contender himself for the No. 2 spot on the Democratic presidential ticket.

"My advice to Barack is that he should pick Hillary" Clinton as a running mate, Nelson told reporters this morning at his Tallahassee office.

Nelson referred to new poll results showing that Florida is up for grabs this fall between the two parties. Asked about the advantages of choosing a Floridian for a running mate, the Florida Democrat said, "I think Hillary would definitely help him in Florida," where she carried the Jan. 29 primary.

Beyond that, Nelson deferred to Obama's decision not to talk about his choice for the No. 2 spot until he makes his choice.

That will probably happen in the next 2 1/2 weeks, Nelson said. If Obama "bumps up" substantially in the national polls, he said, it's less likely that Obama will choose his primary foe.

"But if he only rises slightly or stays the same, I think it's a greater likelihood that he will pick Clinton," he said.

Despite the high stakes in Florida, Nelson predicted that Sen. John McCain will pass over Gov. Charlie Crist to choose former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for his running mate.

"Because that then puts Michigan in play, and if Michigan goes to the Republicans, that then causes some heartburn for the Democrats – and that, almost for sure, puts Florida into play," he said.

If Michigan and Ohio both go for McCain, Nelson said, Obama must win Florida.

Fighting Florida's Water War

Nelson also riffed on the ongoing water wars between Florida and Georgia, complaining that Atlanta is not conserving water. Nelson said he will continue to press the federal government not to siphon off water flowing down the Chattahoochee River into the sensitive estuaries of Apalachicola – because Atlanta has reserves that aren't being tapped, he said.

"There's a little-known fact, that hasn't been made public: There is a year-and-a-half supply of [water] in Lake Lanier," Nelson said.

"Lake Lanier is the damned-up lake at the headwaters of the Chattahoochee River, north of Atlanta," he said. "A year-and-a-half supply of water. So if they get into a drought this September, when the Army Corps [of Engineers] has said that Georgia can hold back more fresh water, I'm getting ready to fight 'em to release waters from Lake Lanier where they have a year-and-a-half of fresh-water supply. And don't kill our oyster industry, and don't kill Apalachicola Bay."

Electoral College Questions

As well, Nelson responded to questions about his plan to abolish the Electoral College and base the presidential election on the popular vote (see here). Asked whether this is a partisan proposal – since it would concentrate more voter influence in large urban areas that Democrats frequently carry – Nelson framed it in a different way.

Today, he said, presidential candidates ignore small states such as Wyoming "because everybody knows it's going Republican. So the Democrat and Republican never go there to campaign."

But if the popular vote decides who will be president, he argued, that would change.

"Then you would have the presidential candidates going and campaigning in states like Wyoming."

Reporter Catherine Dolinski can be reached at (850) 222-8382 or cdolinski@tampatrib.com.

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