Obama Would Like to Have Clinton At His Side.

Barack Obama is just 175 delegates short of becoming the certain nominee. Time to start thinking about a Vice-presidential candidate.

Barack Obama practices modesty. He isn’t yet the Democratic nominee for the presidency, he told an NBC interviewer. “One day they describe Senator Clinton as desperate, the next day as promising.” She’s a “very good candidate,” Obama said in an interview that was marked by his strong showing in the North Carolina primary.

Still, it was clear that Obama sees himself as the clear favorite for his party’s nomination. His chances for further victories in the six remaining primaries before June 3rd are very good. With victories in Kentucky and Oregon he could garner enough delegates by May 20th to finally show Hillary Clinton that she has no remaining chance of nomination.

“Naturally high on the list”

Asked about a possible running mate, Obama indicated that the primaries were still racing ahead at top speed. Only after his nomination is secured would he then “quickly and expeditiously” tackle that question. “Hillary Clinton is naturally high on the list of possible candidates. She’s tireless, she’s smart, and she’s capable,” Obama emphasized. With that, he indicated for the first time that he has spoken to her about possibly becoming his running mate.

Up to now, Clinton has shown little inclination to give up her candidacy. Nevertheless, her campaign staff voices differing opinions. The atmosphere after her thin victory in Indiana and her big loss in North Carolina is described in various reports as “gloomy.”

Farewell with honor?

A total of 200 million dollars invested in her campaign, eleven million of that her own money, may be strong personal motivation for her to continue the fight. Richard Schiffrin, her campaign finance director, says that the situation must be examined soberly. The New York Times quotes him as saying, “How can we still win the nomination, and if there’s no way what is our Plan B?”

Fewer attacks on Obama

In contrast to Obama, Clinton dove right back in to the primary fray just a few hours after the close of the Indiana and North Carolina polls. Experts see good opportunities for Clinton in the West Virginia primary. But they also see a possible end to her campaign if she is victorious. With wins in West Virginia and Kentucky, Clinton could end her struggle “with honor.”

The ultimate decision about what happens next will probably be reached within the close-knit Clinton family circle. It’s worth noting, however, that Clinton’s attacks on the Obama camp have noticeably lessened in recent days. In South Dakota, Obama’s name was never even mentioned. Observers judge this as another sign that the adversarial times are probably over in order to make a possible Obama-Clinton ticket more conceivable.