Share

Obama Begins Search for Vice President

Thursday 22 May 2008

by: Jeff Zeleny  |  The New York Times

photo
With the Democratic National Convention only three months away, Senator Barack Obama has asked a tight circle of advisers to begin conducting a confidential search for prospective running mates. (Photo: Stephen Voss)

    Orlando - With the Democratic National Convention only three months away, Senator Barack Obama has asked a tight circle of advisers to begin conducting a confidential search for prospective running mates.

    Mr. Obama, who intends to wait until the final primaries end on June 3 before declaring victory in the presidential nominating fight with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, has sworn his advisers to secrecy. The search is in its earliest phases, officials said, and Mr. Obama has asked Jim Johnson, a longtime Democratic hand, to lead the process.

    Mr. Johnson, who is a vice chairman of the Obama campaign, led the vice presidential search for Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, in 2004 and Walter Mondale in 1984. In recent weeks, officials said, he started to compile information - largely biographical - for a long list of potential running mates.

    Democratic officials discussed Mr. Johnson's role on condition of anonymity because Mr. Obama has demanded that the process be kept secret, and they did not want him to know they were talking about it. Advisers to Mr. Obama declined to discuss the search or any elements of the process.

    First, they said, the Democratic nominating contest is not finished, so they don't want to appear presumptuous. But, they added, time is quickly running out for the exhaustive vetting process to begin.

    Mr. Obama, who spoke to reporters on a brief trip back to Washington today, declined to discuss the role Mr. Johnson was playing.

    "I haven't hired him. He's not on retainer. I'm not paying him any money. He is a friend of mine. I know him," Mr. Obama said. "I am not commenting on vice presidential matters because I have not won this nomination."

    This week, Mr. Obama crossed the threshold of winning the majority of pledged delegates. He has stopped short of declaring victory, but has gradually turned his focus to Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona.

    "We've had a wonderful contest against a wonderful candidate," Mr. Obama told supporters at a fund-raiser here Wednesday evening. "But it is going to be time for us very soon to start unifying this party because we cannot afford to be divided come November."

  

»

Comments

This is a moderated forum.  It may take a little while for comments to go live. Be civil and on-topic, don't threaten or advocate violence, please keep it under 300 words. Thanks for participating.

Well, Mr Ash, I'm very

 Fri, 05/23/2008 - 00:07 — Alan McConnell (not verified)
Well, Mr Ash, I'm very impressed. Finally you have started taking input from your readers, as I have been urging you to do for the past three years. I congratulate you. I guess I'm going to have to resume my contributions to TruthOut. Alan McConnell, Silver Spring, MD Co-Trustee, Washington Area Impeachment Fund (www.waifllc.org)

What a jerk. (Reminder: Do

 Fri, 05/23/2008 - 00:49 — Anonymous (not verified)
What a jerk. (Reminder: Do not donate to WAIF.)

No one thinks it'll be an

 Fri, 05/23/2008 - 01:26 — Anonymous (not verified)
No one thinks it'll be an Obama/Clinton ticket. I'm guessing because he won't offer it and she wouldn't take it. But what if she runs independent? I don't hear anything about that scenario but it worked for Lieberman.

http://www.pubrecord.org/inde

 Fri, 05/23/2008 - 02:42 — Obama attacked by Evangelical! (not verified)
http://www.pubrecord.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=61&Itemid=8 501(c)3 Violating, Obama Bashing Message from Pentagon Connected Ministry By Chris Rodda The Public Record May 22, 2008 Published in : Nation/World The almost incomprehensible attack on Barack Obama below is excerpted from a "Sermon of the Month" by Dr. Cecil Todd, founder of Revival Fires International, a 501(c)3 ministry which, "at the request of the Chief Chaplains of the Pentagon," has been shipping Bibles to Iraq, via military airlift, since 2003. According to a Revival Fires press release this "full Bible is designed and authorized by the Chief Chaplains of the Pentagon." This Pentagon involvement and Bible distribution led Navy chaplain LCDR Brian K. Waite to Revival Fires. In 2001, LCDR Waite, then a mega-church pastor and reserve chaplain, published a virulently anti-Muslim book titled Islam Uncovered -- a book which was pulled from the shelves in 2002 due to plagiarism and faked endorsements. A few months later, Waite was accepted into the Naval Chaplain Corps. As an active duty chaplain, Waite has not only endorsed Revival Fires in uniform on the ministry's website, but appeared on advertisements for, and as a featured speaker at, their 2006 and 2007 campmeetings. He is also scheduled to appear at their 2008 campmeeting, to be held in June. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) recently exposed LCDR Waite's anti-Muslim writings, his plagiarism scandal, his blatant violations of military regulations in endorsing Revival Fires Ministries, and his diploma-mill educational background. Waite's anti-Muslim ideology led to his dismissal from the faculty of the Graduate Theological Foundation, a civilian institution where he was the director of a Military Ministries doctoral program, but no apparent action by the military. Excerpts from "Who I Want In The White House!" By Dr. Cecil Todd Today, a fierce political battle rages across our nation, as once again the American people will be choosing who will lead our country as President, for the next four years! The top contenders in this race are Hillary Clinton, Barack Hussein Obama and John McCain -- all three of these Presidential wannabe’s are U.S. Senators. Many sincere -- seeking Americans are asking “WHO WOULD BE THE BEST PERSON OF THESE THREE PEOPLE TO SERVE AS PRESIDENT OF THE MOST POWERFUL NATION IN THE WORLD?” ................................. As a minister, I am forbidden by law to tell you how to vote! (I would never do that!) Yet, we all know this law is being broken again and again by many ministers, who are pushing their liberal candidates! I will urge you , “Do not vote as a Democrat … and do not vote as a Republican … BUT AS A CHILD OF GOD BE SURE TO VOTE! As a servant of the most high God, I beg you, “Do not vote for a ‘baby-killer,’ or a promoter of the homosexual life-style or someone who will sell-out our freedoms as a nation and as Christians! That does narrow down the candidates!

I hope he picks John Edwards

 Fri, 05/23/2008 - 21:53 — David Currie (not verified)
I hope he picks John Edwards for VP, because Obama has a VERY questionable history and apparently needs someone to keep him honest. I would lose all hope if he picks Billary, or any other Zionist quisling. I saw chemistry between Edwards and Obama, and hopefully it will happen. Obama and Edwards would be unbeatable. If Hillary does to indie, maybe she can run with Biden? That would be a Zionist dream team!

I meant Lieberman with

 Fri, 05/23/2008 - 22:02 — David Currie (not verified)
I meant Lieberman with Clinton, not Biden. Leiberman has already gone the independent route on his way from democrat to republican, and that seems to be the way Clinton is heading too. Hillary is just about a Neocon and Rove reportedly works for her campaign. Ron Paul is another candidate who could go to a third party, although that doesn't look likely. Getting him together with someone like Dennis Kucinich would be a strong ticket - people are fed-up with the essentially one-party system we now have.