Obama rejects Clintons' vision of him as veep

COLUMBUS, Miss. — At first, the suggestion was a quiet one, raised by their supporters. Soon, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and her husband, former President Clinton, lent credence to the idea, telling voters in Mississippi and beyond that Sen. Barack Obama would make a fine partner — most likely as No. 2 — on the Democratic ticket.

But when Obama arrived here Monday, he brusquely discounted the chatter. He suggested the Clintons were being duplicitous, implying on one hand that he was not ready to be president, but that on the other, he could solve the party's political impasse by joining together.

"I don't know how somebody who's in second place can offer the vice presidency to someone who's in first place," Obama told a town meeting at the Mississippi University for Women here, alluding to his lead in delegates. As the crowd cheered, he said: "If I'm not ready, how is it that you think I should be such a great vice president? Do you understand that?"

The Clintons' decision to repeatedly invoke the idea of a Clinton-Obama ticket could serve several goals: to diminish Obama, of Illinois, in a genteel way, while courting some of his supporters by suggesting a vote for Clinton could ultimately be a vote for him, too.

But as the specter of such a ticket has gained currency with the Clintons' musings, Obama felt compelled Monday to try to stop the chatter.

"With all due respect, I've won twice as many states as Sen. Clinton," Obama said on the eve of the Mississippi primary, speaking over the applause of more than 1,500 people who rose from their seats. "I've won more of the popular vote than Sen. Clinton. I have more delegates than Sen. Clinton."

A few days ago, before a Mississippi audience, Bill Clinton beamed at the possibility, calling the Democratic pair an "unstoppable force." He said Hillary Clinton could win rural voters and Reagan Democrats, while Obama could carry urban and upscale voters.

This double-sided argument, though, seemed to conflict with the Clinton's claim that Obama lacked experience.

On a conference call with reporters, Clinton campaign spokesman Howard Wolfson was asked why the campaign was talking up Obama as a possible running mate while it was also arguing that he was not qualified to be commander in chief — a standard most presidents want their vice presidents to meet.

"We do not believe that Sen. Obama has passed the commander-in-chief test," Wolfson said. "But there is a long way between now and Denver," site of the party's nominating convention in August.

As she campaigned Monday in Pennsylvania, Clinton, of New York, said it was "premature to talk about whoever might be on the ticket." But she also said, "A lot of Democrats like us both and have been, you know, very hopeful that they wouldn't have to make a choice, but obviously Democrats have to make a choice, and I'm looking forward to getting the nomination."

Obama was considerably more forceful in his remarks. While he praised Clinton's talent and tenaciousness, he didn't invite her to be his running mate, should he become the nominee. Advisers said they could not imagine such a situation, and they wanted Obama to remind voters of the distinctions between the two.

"I don't want anybody here thinking that I, somehow, well you know, maybe I can get both," Obama said. "Don't think that way. You have to make a choice in this election. Are you going to go along with the past or are you going to go toward the future?"

Obama then added, "They are trying to hoodwink you."