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BARACK Obama's sprint to the Democratic nomination received another boost yesterday as three more superdelegates pledged their support, including one who dropped his backing for Hillary Rodham Clinton's faltering White House bid.
Barack Obama has not ruled out selecting rival Hillary Clinton as his vice presidential running mate if he ultimately defeats her in a race in which he has an almost insurmountable lead.
"There's no doubt that she's qualified to be vice president, there's no doubt she's qualified to be president," Obama told NBC News.
In a CNN interview, he said he had not wrapped up the Democratic presidential nomination, but when he does, he will start going through the process of selecting a running mate.
"She is tireless, she is smart. She is capable. And so obviously she'd be on anybody's short list to be a potential vice presidential candidate," said Obama, who inched closer to winning the nomination by routing Clinton in North Carolina and almost defeating her in Indiana on Tuesday.
Some Democrats are saying Obama and Clinton would be a formidable team against Republican John McCain in the November election.
According to a CBS News/New York Times poll released last week, a majority of both Obama and Clinton voters say they would favor a so-called "Dream Ticket" involving both candidates.
The Clinton campaign has deflected such talk. Clinton campaign spokesman Howard Wolfson said Wednesday that it was premature to discuss such a ticket and he had not heard her express any interest in the vice presidency.
Bid carries on
Clinton, meanwhile, has urged supporters to ignore predictions that her White House bid was over. And Obama remained busy reaching out to top Democrats who could help seal his historic nomination.
Clinton spent some of Thursday in West Virginia, the next battleground and where she is favored to win, telling supporters that she had faced similar pressure to withdraw before she went on to win New Hampshire, Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania's primaries.
"I'm running to be president of all 50 states," said Clinton, who would be the nation's first female president. "I think we ought to keep this going so the people of West Virginia's voices are heard."
But, smarting from a crushing loss in North Carolina and a narrower-than-expected win in Indiana on Tuesday, the former first lady also sought to stave off defections among supporters who saw the race turn decisively in Obama's favor.
Agencies
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