Smart move.
July 11, 2008
Wolfson says Clinton not being formally vetted for VPPosted: 12:44 PM ET
From CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
(CNN) — Is the so-called Democratic 'dream ticket' off the table?
Despite speculation that Barack Obama's presidential campaign is seriously considering Hillary Clinton for the No. 2 spot on the Democratic presidential ticket, a former senior advisor to Clinton said Thursday he doesn't think the New York senator is being formally considered for the job.
Howard Wolfson, the former Clinton campaign communications director, told Fox News Thursday he isn't aware of any official effort on behalf of the Obama campaign that suggests the Illinois senator is considering his former rival for his running mate.
"Not as far as I know," Wolfson said when asked if Clinton had been "asked to participate in the vetting process for VP."
Veepstakes! Predict the running mates
But the longtime Clinton confidante quickly added there is more information available in the public record about the former presidential candidate "than just about any public figure in America."
"She's been vetted now for a long time — she's got thirty years of taxes in the public record and financial disclosure forms. She ran for president for 18 months and every news organization in America had multiple teams of reporters look at all aspects at her career and her biography," he said. "So there's a lot of information out about her that I know Senator Obama is privy too, that may be sufficient for him to make whatever decision he wants to make."
iReport.com: Whom do you see as VP?
The comments come amid reports the Obama campaign has asked other public officials to hand over information about themselves as part of a formal vice presidential vetting process, including former presidential candidate Chris Dodd.
The five-term Connecticut senator said Thursday that he has been asked to provide "a lot of stuff."
“There’s been some inquiries, yeah,” he told the Associated Press. “They ask for a lot of stuff. I’ll leave it there." The Obama campaign and Dodd’s Senate office have yet to comment on the report, though the Republican National Committee has already leveled attacks on Obama for considering the Connecticut senator, in light of accusations he received preferred loans from Countrywide Financial – the same attack that led to the resignation of the original head of the Illinois senator’s vice presidential search team.
The Obama campaign also reportedly approached Virginia Sen. Jim Webb about the job, followed by an announcement from the freshman senator that he had officially taken himself out of the running.
Other potential candidates for the position are remaining far more circumspect about their interaction with the Obama campaign.
"The decision and timetable for the best person to help Sen. Obama lead the country is entirely up to him. All of us who support Sen. Obama have been asked to direct questions about his choice for vice president to the campaign," Kathleen Sebelius, the popular Kansas governor said in a Thursday statement.
"I'm not going to talk about it," longtime Obama supporter and freshman Missouri senator Claire McCaskill said Wednesday.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/07/11/wolfson-says-clinton-not-being-formally-vetted-for-vp/#more-8550
