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Clinton's Husband Muses Of Her For V.P. Role

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The New York Times

Published: May 23, 2008

Although Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and her advisers insist that she is determined to win the Democratic nomination, former President Clinton, for one, has begun privately musing about a different outcome for her: As Sen. Barack Obama's running mate.

The prospect of an Obama-Clinton ticket has been fodder for political gossip for months, with some Democratic leaders pushing the idea as a way to unify the party. The Obama and Clinton campaigns have consistently shrugged off the idea, however, and Clinton has been adamant that she is only interested in the presidency.

Yet anyone who knows the Clintons is well aware that, at times, they come to politics with different motivations. Both of them want to return to the White House; Hillary Clinton, representing New York, also enjoys being a senator, while Bill Clinton, according to associates, sees the vice presidency as perhaps her best path to becoming president someday if she loses the nominating fight.

Bill Clinton also has his own ideas about his wife's best interests - even if she sometimes does not share them.

A spokesman for Clinton's campaign said Thursday that Bill Clinton had not had private conversations in which he was pushing her for the vice presidency or arguing that she deserved it, and that he believes that the choice of a running mate is a personal one for the nominee.

Friends of the former president say his musings have been more casual: He believes that an Obama-Clinton ticket could help unify the party, and he thinks that she has earned a meeting with Obama to discuss the possibility.

According to these friends, who spoke on condition of anonymity so as not to be identified revealing private talks, Bill Clinton thinks that his wife's victories in major primary battles, such as Ohio and Pennsylvania, and the 16 million votes cast for her candidacy make her the proper choice for Obama.

"If she's not going to be the nominee, then he wants her in the second spot," said one friend of the Clintons. "In the long run, it's the best way for her to run again in 2016."

Clinton advisers were emphatic that neither Bill Clinton nor anyone else in the campaign had given up on Hillary Clinton's candidacy, and they emphasized that no efforts were being made to position her to be running mate with Obama of Illinois.

Obama has asked a tight circle of advisers to set up a confidential search for prospective running mates, with a goal of having an early list of names to begin sifting through shortly after the final two primaries on June 3.

The search will be guided by Jim Johnson, a longtime Democratic hand in Washington and vice chairman of the Obama campaign.

(Expected to be included on a list will be most of the former Democratic presidential candidates - Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina and Sens. Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware and Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut.

Prominent supporters of Sen. Clinton are also sure to be included, like Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana and Gov. Ted Strickland of Ohio.

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