Angling for a
vice presidential nod, Hillary Rodham Clinton refused to
bow out of the Democratic race Tuesday, hoping to maintain
leverage as Barack Obama clinched the delegates needed
to secure the party's nomination.
''A lot of people
are asking, 'What does Hillary want?' '' Clinton told
supporters at a rally in New York. ''I want what I have
always fought for: I want the nearly 18 million people
who voted for me to be respected and heard.''
Clinton told the
crowd she would consult in the coming days with advisers
about the fate of her moribund candidacy. But her remarks
came hours after she told congressional colleagues she
would be open to joining Obama as his running mate.
Many of her top
supporters spoke openly of Clinton's potential vice
presidential prospects. Lanny Davis, a former White House
special counsel under President Clinton, said he told
the former first lady Tuesday that he was initiating a
petition to press Obama to select her for the second
spot on the ticket. He said Clinton did not encourage or
discourage the step.
''If he doesn't
have her, I think he can still win. With her on the
ticket, he can't be beat,'' Davis said.
Clinton's
national finance chairman, Hassan Nemazee, said he was also
pushing an Obama-Clinton ticket, claiming that together they
would be able to raise $200 million to $250 million
for the general election.
Advisers
indicated earlier Tuesday that the former first lady would
publicly acknowledge in her speech that Obama had crossed
the delegate threshold. But she changed her mind and
refused to do so even after television networks and
the Associated Press declared the Illinois U.S.
senator had sealed the nomination.
Her advisers said
they considered the delegate numbers to be unreliable,
even as the AP estimated Obama had several more than the
2,118 needed to nominate. Earlier, Clinton
acknowledged on a conference call with New York
lawmakers that the delegate math was not there for her to
overtake Obama, according to several participants on
the call.
She said none of
that publicly Tuesday but vowed the Democratic Party
would unite in its effort to defeat Republican John McCain
in November.
Clinton won South
Dakota's primary Tuesday, while Obama won Montana's.
The two contests rounded out a historic five-month primary
battle that pitted the first major black candidate
against the first serious female contender.
The South Dakota
victory, which was unexpected, gave Clinton an excuse to
buy more time to consider options, her advisers said.
On the conference
call with New York colleagues, Clinton, a New York U.S.
senator, said she would be willing to become Obama's running
mate if it would help Democrats win the White House.
Clinton's remarks
came in response to a question from Democratic U.S.
representative Nydia Velazquez, who said she believed the
best way for Obama to win key voting blocs, including
Hispanics, would be for him to choose Clinton as his
running mate.
''I am open to
it'' if it would help the party's prospects in November,
Clinton replied. Her direct quote was described by two
lawmakers who spoke on condition of anonymity because
they were not authorized to speak for Clinton.
''I deserve some
time to get this right,'' she said, even as the other
lawmakers forcefully argued for her to press Obama to choose
her as his running mate.
Joseph Crowley, a
Democratic U.S. congressman from Queens who
participated in the call, said her answer ''left open the
possibility that she would do anything that she can to
contribute toward a Democratic victory in November.
There was no hedging on that. Whatever she can do to
contribute, she was willing to do.''
Another person on
the call, Rep. Jose Serrano of New York City, said her
answer was ''just what I was hoping to hear.... Of course
she was interested in being president, but she's just
as interested in making sure Democrats get elected in
November.''
Rep. Charles
Rangel, a devoted booster of Clinton who helped pave the way
for her successful Senate campaign, said he spoke to her
Tuesday and got much the same answer.
''She's run a
great campaign, and even though she'll be a great senator,
she has a lot of followers that obviously Obama doesn't
have, and clearly the numbers are against her, and so
I think they bring all parts of the Democratic Party
together and then some,'' Rangel said.
Aides to the
Illinois senator said he and Clinton had not spoken about
the prospects of her joining the ticket.
Most of Clinton's
campaign staff will be let go and will be paid through
June 15, said the officials, who spoke on condition of
anonymity because they were not authorized to divulge
her plans.
Universal health
care, Clinton's signature issue as first lady in the
1990s, was a point of dispute between Obama and the New York
senator during their nomination fight.
Clinton
reiterated her commitment to that issue in her remarks
Tuesday.
''It is a fight I
will continue until every single American has health
insurance. No exceptions and no excuses,'' she said.
Other names have
been floated as possible running mates for Obama,
including former rivals New Mexico governor Bill Richardson
and former North Carolina U.S. senator John Edwards,
and governors including Janet Napolitano of Arizona,
Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, and Tim Kaine of
Virginia. Also mentioned are foreign policy experts
including former U.S. senators Sam Nunn of Georgia and
Chris Dodd of Connecticut as well as current senator
Joe Biden of Delaware, and other senators such as
Missouri's Claire McCaskill and Virginia's Jim Webb.
Obama could also
look outside the party to people such as antiwar
Republican senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska or independent
New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg. Or he could look
to one of his prominent supporters such as former
senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota or try to bring on a
Clinton supporter, such as Indiana senator Evan Bayh or
retired Army general Wesley Clark. (Jim Kuhnhenn
and Beth Fouhy, AP)