Obama-Clinton talks spark frenzy

AFP
Friday, June 6, 2008

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Mystery shrouded secret talks between Democratic presumptive White House nominee Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, which sparked new speculation Friday over her vice presidential prospects.

Only the two rivals know what was said at the meeting, at the home of Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, where they sat in armchairs for an hour, as Clinton got ready to wrap up her once front-running campaign on Saturday.

"I had a chance to talk to Hillary for a little bit because she came early," Feinstein told Fox News, revealing first details of the meeting in Washington.

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"Then Barack Obama came, and I seated them in comfortable chairs by the fireplace, then I went upstairs to work.

"When they were finished, he called up, and I came down and said goodnight. That was it."

Obama 's communications director Robert Gibbs said the rivals had both wanted to escape the media glare in their closed-door talks.

"This was a meeting that both candidates had wanted to do and both candidates wanted to do in a very private way," he told CNN.

"They talked about how to come together and how to unify this party and move forward ... and what unites us as a party far exceeds what might divide either of these two candidates."

The former first lady earlier had sought to quash any suggestion that she had launched a new campaign -- to be picked as Obama's vice president after he won their epic battle for the party' White House nomination on Tuesday.

After promising to throw the full weight of her formidable support behind Obama, Clinton disowned a drive by some of her followers to force her onto Obama's ticket.

"She is not seeking the vice presidency, and no one speaks for her but her," said her campaign in a statement. "The choice here is Senator Obama's and his alone."

But Clinton supporter, fellow New York senator Chuck Schumer said Friday she would take the number two spot on the ticket if offered.

"She's done exactly the right thing," Schumer told ABC.

"She said if Senator Obama should want her to be the vice president and thinks it's best for the ticket, she will serve, she will accept that.

"But on the other hand if he chooses someone else, she'll work just as hard for the party in November."

On Tuesday, as Obama clinched enough delegates to represent the party in November's election, Clinton told New York lawmakers that she was open to the idea of serving as his vice president.

Since then, some of her backers have been lobbying on her behalf, arguing that her support among working-class voters and women would guarantee a November sweep against Republican John McCain.

Noting Clinton's 18 million primary votes and victories in swing states, New York Representative Charlie Rangel told CBS that "we should expect a landslide if they had this dream ticket."

But Obama said he would not be forced into a choice as a three-member team began to vet vice presidential contenders on his behalf.

Interviewed by CNN Thursday, the Illinois senator reiterated a line he used repeatedly on the primary campaign trial: "Senator Clinton would be on anybody's shortlist."

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