[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSMQqxPYYNY]
Barack Obama has replied to the Clinton campaign’s suggestion that the front runner should take the second spot on the ticket (video above):
Sen. Barack Obama delivered an animated rebuke today of suggestions from the Clintons in recent days that he could run as her vice president.
“Now first of all with all due respect, with all due respect,” he said here during a town hall meeting. “I won twice as many states as Sen. Clinton. I won more of the popular vote than Sen. Clinton. I have more delegates than Sen. Clinton. So I don’t’ know how someone in second place can offer the vice presidency to someone in first place. If I was in second place I could understand but I am in first place right now.
He referenced comments from Bill Clinton in 1992 that his “most important criteria” for vice president was that person must be ready to be commander in chief.
“They have been spending the last two or three weeks” arguing that he is not ready to be commander in chief, Obama said.
“I don’t understand. If I am not ready, how is it that you think I should be such a great vice president?” Obama asked the crowd, which gave him a standing ovation during his defense. “I don’t understand.”
“You can’t say he is not ready on day one, then you want him to be your vice president,” Obama continued. “I just want everybody to absolutely clear: I am not running for vice president. I am running to be president of the United States of America.”
Bill Clinton attempted to answer the question of how they could claim Obama is not ready to be commander-in-chief, but that he is ready to be Hillary’s running mate:
But given the Clinton camp’s implicit argument that Obama is not ready to be commander-in- chief or handle a 3:00 am phone call, Clinton was asked why then would she consider Obama for the No. 2 spot. “That’s politics,” Clinton said, not taking the bait, as he would put it.
Yes, “that’s politics” Clinton style. Say anything to win, regardless of the truth, even if contradicts their previous talking point. Realizing that the talk of Obama being Clinton’s running mate isn’t going anywhere, Joe Gandelman reports that this trial balloon has quickly popped.