What’s Up Hillary Clinton’s Sleeve?

By DICK MORRIS & EILEEN MCGANN

Why won’t Hillary just concede that she has lost and pull out of the race? Why does she persist in keeping her delegates in line for her and not releasing them to Obama? Why does she feign party unity while, in fact, undermining it?

The Clinton’s never do anything without a lot of thinking and planning. There is no benign explanation for her maneuvers. They have several options that they are deliberately keeping open by their increasingly awkward positioning. Here’s what they’re up to:

1. The Obama Stumbles Option

As Hillary says, June is “early” in politics when the convention is not to be held until the end of August, unusually late for a Democratic conclave. And, as Tip O’Neill says “a week is a long time in politics.” So is three months.

Rumors abound about incriminating material on Obama, the potential for misstep is amplified now that he adjusts to a new task of taking on McCain, who knows how many other preachers there are in the closet? Hillary’s skilled force of private detectives, who we once called the secret police, are doubtless diving into garbage dumpsters all over America to come up with whatever they can.

Hillary wants to be there to exploit any mistakes. She will be watching and waiting. Suppose Obama flubs a line on the campaign trail or damaging material emerges from the Rezko prosecution? Hillary will indicate her continued availability as an alternative. Remember that superdelegates can change their minds anytime they want to. Now they are leaving Hillary to back Obama, the winner, but they could easily go the other way. By not releasing her pledged delegates, she remains within striking distance of the nomination if an Obama faux pas leads to an exodus of superdelegates from his camp.

2. Hillary for VP

By remaining a force at the convention, Hillary might be in a position to bail out a faltering Obama campaign by going on the ticket. There is no love lost between the two candidates. Hillary knows that Obama will not choose her voluntarily as his running mate. But if Obama falters, he might just need the shot in the arm Hillary would represent. By remaining in the shadows as a potential threat to wrest away the nomination, she might leverage her position to make Obama put her on the ticket.

She wants to be VP in case Obama loses so she can be positioned for 2012 and in case he wins so she can shoot for the stars in 2016. And, she doesn’t want anyone else to have the job so as not to create a potential rival.

3. The I Told You So Option

By remaining viable and keeping her delegates, Hillary stays in play through the convention. Her aides and associates can be counted on to dump on Obama subtly and, often, anonymously, as he moves forward. If Obama loses the election, and did not take her on his ticket, she can run as the “I told you so” candidate in 2012, much as Ronald Reagan capitalized on Gerald Ford’s defeat in 1976, after Reagan had unsuccessfully sought the nomination, to bolster his credentials in 1980.

4. Paying Off Her Debts

By staying, at least partially, in the game, Hillary can continue to raise money and pay off her debts. And she can hold out a bargaining position to force Obama to do more and more to help her to raise money. Debts to her vendors are one thing. She can always raise funds to pay them off in the future. But the election law makes it illegal for her to pay herself back any sum above $250,000 after the Democratic Convention. Since she has lent her campaign at least $11 million, she wants to get as much of it back as possible before the convention deadline.

Hillary may set her candidacy aside for the moment. But her fortunes will continue to rise and fall inversely with Obama’s. Should he hit a rough patch, Hillary’s numbers are bound to improve, strengthening her bargaining position for funds or for the VP slot or, possibly giving her enough momentum to reopen the contest.

That’s her game.

Popularity: 15% [?]

Sources say Clinton to acknowledge delegate math, consider No. 2 slot

According to an Associated Press tally, the Illinois senator has enough delegates to secure the Democratic nomination. NBC News’ count shows him 11 shy of the 2,118 delegates needed. Full story

Popularity: 15% [?]

Hillary Clinton to make major speech on Tuesday

It seems this is the end of the road for Ma. Clinton.

Reports internet-wide indicate that as of Monday, Clinton campaign staffers are being urged by the campaign’s finance department to turn in their outstanding expense receipts by the end of the week, an indication that the campaign wants to get its affairs in order and to initiate an end to the 15 month duel with Obama.

The campaign is in debt to the tune of about $11 million.

Some other reports indicate the opposite: ABC News’ Kate Snow and Eloise Harper report that Clinton spokesperson Mo Elleithee came to the back of the press plane as Clinton flew from Rapid City to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and said: “I think its pretty clear that she is not conceding.” “I think its pretty clear that she is staying in this race. She is going, in the coming days, to be aggressively courting uncommitted superdelegates aggressively courting unpledged delegates, making the case to them that she is a candidate best ready to take on John McCain.”

When asked directly when Clinton will step aside, Elietthee told the reporters, “as she has said dozens and dozens of times she is in this race until we have a nominee…Until there is a nominee she is going to try to win support.” ….[MORE]

Meanwhile Obama told reporters that he spoke by phone with Clinton on Sunday, and that he congratulated her on winning Puerto Rico and apologized for the controversial remarks made by Father Michael Pfleger while speaking at his former church.

“I emphasized to her what an extraordinary race that she’s run and said that there aren’t too many people who understand exactly how hard she’s been working. I’m one of ‘em because she and I have been on this same journey together, and told her that once the dust settled I was looking forward to meeting with her at a time and place of her choosing. We’ve still got two more contests to go and I’m sure that there will be further conversations after Tuesday,” said Obama. ….[MORE]

On Tuesday night Obama will deliver a speech in in St. Paul, Minnesota — the site of the Republican National Convention that will nominate Arizona Sen. McCain in September.

“Minnesota is an important battleground state,” said Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki. “The McCain campaign has made it clear they will compete there aggressively. We will too.”

Meanwhile “Slick Willy” is still in Attack-Mode: Bill Clinton exploded in response to this article “The Comeback Id,” by Todd Purdum of Vanity Fair.

He called the author “sleazy,” “dishonest,” “slimy” and a “scumbag!”

Finally, Ted Kennedy had what what his doctors termed a “successful” surgery to remove “most” of the cancerous tumor in his brain. The ‘Liberal Lion‘ suffered a seizure at his home in Hyannis Port, Mass. about two weeks ago, and was rushed by helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston where doctors diagnosed brain cancer.

Good Luck Ted!

     P/S: OBAMA - CLINTON TICKET 2008?

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Popularity: 25% [?]

“Napoleon” Hillary seeks to go after Obama superdelegates | Undeclared superdelegates expected to make a ‘mad dash’ to Obama

As Barack Obama turns to concentrate on his general election challenge, his rival Hillary Rodham Clinton is mounting a last ditch campaign to stay relevant in what is left of the Democratic presidential contest.

The former first lady enters this week with an insurgent strategy not only to win over undecided superdelegates but to peel away Obama’s support from those party leaders and elected officials who already have committed to back him for the nomination.

“One thing about superdelegates is that they can change their minds,” she told reporters aboard her campaign plane Sunday night.

Tom Vilsack, the former Iowa governor and a national co-chairman of Clinton’s campaign, said Sunday: “It does appear to be pretty clear that Senator Obama is going to be the nominee. After Tuesday’s contests, she needs to acknowledge that he’s going to be the nominee and quickly get behind him.” ….[MORE]

Obama bought Clinton’s coffin in South Carolina …..

Popularity: 20% [?]

HILL’S DAY AT MT. ‘CRUSHMORE’

Form The New York Post

Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday visited Mount Rushmore for a photo op beneath the stony visages of four legendary presidents - as the national Democratic Party dealt a blow to her hopes of ever joining them.

Clinton, who’s stumping hard in advance of Tuesday’s ballot in South Dakota - which will vote with Montana in the final primaries - insisted there was no deeper meaning to her choice of locale.

“This is a tourist occasion,” she told reporters who shouted questions to her, including whether she thought she or her ex-president husband should on the South Dakota monument with George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

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As reporters called out to one of her aides to step aside and stop blocking their view of her as she gazed at the massive rock, Clinton eventually turned around. “Why don’t you go learn something about the monument?” she sniped, appearing “visibly annoyed,” according to a CBS account.

Clinton stumped as the lawyers for the Democratic National Committee delivered a setback to her campaign - and Obama predicted the party would settle on a nominee shortly after Tuesday’s contests.

“At that point, all the information will be in,” he said.

“There will be no more questions unanswered. I suspect that whatever remaining superdelegates [there are] will be able to make their decisions pretty quickly.” ….. | Complete Election Coverage from The Post |

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Meanwhile, Obama has been busy wooing Indian voters,……

Comprising less than 2 percent of the U.S. population and concentrated mostly outside key primary states in past election years, Native Americans are seeing an uptick in prominence because of political and geographic realities…..[MORE]

….AND exchanging blows with John McBOMB

Popularity: 19% [?]