| | Report: Clinton says don't nominate me
Former first lady Hillary Clinton is expected to ask that she not be nominated at the Democratic convention later this month, much to the chagrin of some of her most die-hard supporters, who have not given up the quest to oust Barack Obama from his spot as the party's presumptive nominee, according to a report Friday in the New York Daily News.
A source close to the New York senator confirmed she won't file a formal request to the convention asking to be nominated along with Barack Obama, who eked out the victory in their fierce primary slugfest.
"She is not going to submit the signed request," the insider told the Daily News. "People are still circulating petitions on her behalf, but this is a done deal."
Party rules stipulate that Clinton must ask in writing to be nominated herself and also submit a petition signed by 300 to 600 delegates. Without her signed request, petitions of support are meaningless.
TalkingPointsMemo's Greg Sargent, though, says Clinton isn't making the decision completely on her own. Rather, it's being influenced by Obama's campaign and the Democratic National Committee.
But according to Hillary spokesperson Kathleen Strand, in truth Hillary is actually not making this decision on her own -- she's making it in concert with both the DNC and the Obama campaign.
"While no decisions have been made at this time, they will be made collaboratively with Senator Clinton and her staff, the DNC and Senator Obama's campaign and released at the appropriate time," Strand emails me. Curiously, according to Strand, this quote was also provided to the Daily News but didn't make it into its story.
In truth, the decision isn't quite as straightforward as it looks.
It's unclear whether her pulling her name out of contention could provoke some of her more passionate delegates to create other problems. The Obama campaign, too, will have a major say over what's finally decided and will have its own considerations.
When delegates formally cast their votes at the convention, which will be held in Denver from Aug. 25-28, they are free to vote for whomever they choose. The Daily News, though, says Clinton has been urging her 1,886 delegates to vote for Obama.
"Depending on the dynamics, hundreds of delegates might decide to demonstrate their support and affection," a Clinton source speculated.
If so, that could be read as a dis to Obama from female Democrats still bruised by Clinton's defeat and resisting her pleas for party unity.
Other Clinton backers, however, worry that she could be embarrassed by a roll call because many of her delegates already have switched to Obama.
Clinton is expected to speak at the convention Aug. 26, but details have not yet been finalized. While the second-place Democratic candidate was once seen as a strong contender to become Obama's running mate, few observers believe she is still being considered for the role.
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