Sen. Clinton, down but not out, bucking for VP bid?

Story provided bt CNN.com

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Hillary Clinton says she's not out, but with rival Sen. Barack Obama securing his long-held lead, many are asking what she plans to do next.

Sen. Hillary Clinton says Tuesday she will let her supporters and party leaders decide her course.
Both candidates were in Washington on Wednesday, first to each address the influential American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and later when they are both expected in the Senate for a budget vote.
Obama became his party's presumptive nominee Tuesday and will be looking to unite Democrats divided by the long and contentious primary season.
"She's an extraordinary leader of the Democratic Party, and has made history alongside me over the last 16 months. I'm very proud to have competed against her," Obama told the Israel lobbying group Wednesday.
Some say putting Clinton on the ticket might fit the bill for uniting Democrats, but the former first lady promised Tuesday that she wouldn't make an immediate decision on her future.
"Now, the question is: Where do we go from here?" she asked supporters Tuesday at New York's Baruch College. "And given how far we've come and where we need to go as a party, it's a question I don't take lightly. This has been a long campaign, and I will be making no decisions tonight."
Clinton lavished her opponent with praise, saying he ran an "extraordinary race" and made politics more palatable for many. Watch how the primary played out »

Obama Crosses Historic Milestone

(CNN) -- Barack Obama has done what many just a year ago thought was impossible. He took on the most powerful family in Democratic politics and won.

Sen. Barack Obama on Tuesday became the first African-American to head the ticket of a major political party.

On Tuesday, Obama became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, marking the first time an African-American will head the ticket of a major political party.
The first-term senator captured the Democratic nomination by beating out Sen. Hillary Clinton, who was hoping to become the first female nominee.
He also had to campaign against the senator's husband, former President Bill Clinton, one of the great political talents of the 20th century who, at least going into the primary season, enjoyed widespread popularity among Democrats.
During one debate, Obama wondered out loud if he was running against the wife or the husband, given the former president's high profile on the campaign trail.
The two Democratic candidates fought a protracted and, at times, bitter battle that carried them through every state and brought nearly 35 million of their supporters to the polls.
When Obama declared his candidacy in February 2007, he faced an uphill battle. Clinton, a former first lady and New York senator, was the favored candidate.
Eleven months later, Obama proved the cynics wrong. He won Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses and, in what he called a "defining moment in history," he told his supporters "change is coming." Watch a recap of the primary season »

Clinton popular across board in Puerto Rico win

BREAKING NEWS
Clinton popular across board in Puerto Rico win
Sen. Hillary Clinton has won Puerto Rico's Democratic primary by a wide margin, CNN projects, giving her the larger share of the territory's 55 delegates. She swept Sen. Barack Obama in every major demographic group, including groups he generally does well in, such as younger voters and higher income voters, exit polls suggest. full story
Is Puerto Rico a game-changer?
Puerto Rico primary results

Obama quits church, citing controversies

CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama said Saturday that he has resigned from the church where controversial sermons by his former pastor and other ministers created political headaches for his campaign.

Sen. Barack Obama said he was resigning from the church "with some sadness."

"We don't want to have to answer for everything that's stated in the church," the Democratic front-runner said. "We also don't want the church subjected to the scrutiny that a presidential campaign legitimately undergoes."
Obama said he was resigning "with some sadness."
"This is not a decision I come to lightly," he said. Watch Obama discuss departure »
The resignation comes days after the Rev. Michael Pfleger, a visiting Catholic priest, mocked Obama's Democratic rival during a sermon at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Illinois.
In the sermon, Pfleger wipes his eyes with a handkerchief and suggests that Sen. Hillary Clinton wept because she thought that as a white person and the wife of a former president, she was entitled to the presidency.
Obama said the Pfleger controversy made it clear that, as long as he remained a member of the Trinity congregation, remarks from the pulpit would be "imputed" to him, even if they conflicted with his personal views.
Don't Miss
Priest apologizes for mocking Clinton
Obama said he and his wife, Michelle, began discussing a departure from the church after Wright spoke at the National Press Club on April 28.
During the appearance, Wright said that Obama had "distanced" himself the fiery pastor for political reasons.
Wright, Obama's minister for about 20 years, drew unwanted attention for the campaign when videos of his fiery sermons surfaced.
In the speeches, Wright suggested that the U.S. government may be responsible for the spread of AIDS in the black community and equated some American wartime activities to terrorism.
Obama has said he was not present for the controversial sermons by Wright or Pfleger.
His campaign condemned Pfleger's comments.
"That is why I am deeply disappointed in Father Pfleger's divisive, backward-looking rhetoric, which doesn't reflect the country I see or the desire of people across America to come together in common cause," he said in a statement Thursday.
Obama said he and his wife had discussed and prayed on the issue with Trinity's senior pastor, the Rev. Otis Moss, and hoped that the decision would withdraw Trinity from the spotlight.
"Though we are saddened by the news, we understand that it is a personal decision," Moss said in a statement Saturday. "We will continue to lift them in prayer and wish them the best as former members of our Trinity community,"
Some Obama supporters, including U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler of Florida, said that disconnecting from the church signaled a chance for the campaign to move on.
"I think it bodes well for us in the general election that we can put whatever issues there were behind us in respect to the church," Wexler said

Angry Clinton Supporters Tell Party Leaders: "Lets Go McCain!"

From CNN Associate Political Editor Rebecca Sinderbrand
WASHINGTON (CNN) – Democratic leaders hopeful that a deal to seat delegates from Florida and Michigan would mark an end to the deep division the controversy has brought to the party got some instant – and less than encouraging – feedback as they finalized the measure Saturday evening.
As members of the Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws panel voted in favor of the measures, some supporters of Hillary Clinton's White House bid rose from their seats and began to shout “Don’t steal my vote!” and “Let’s go, McCain!”
Several paced the back of the ballroom, yelling at the committee members and chanting “Denver! Denver!” – the site of this summer's Democratic presidential nominating convention.
When Barack Obama’s name was mentioned, boos filled the room.
"This motion will hijack, hijack, remove four delegates won by Hillary Clinton and most importantly reflect the preferences of 600,000 Michigan voters,” said Clinton senior adviser and RBC member Harold Ickes, who added that the White House hopeful reserved her right to bring an appeal before the DNC's Credentials Committee later this summer.
The delegate allocations were a blow to Clinton, who comes away with an advantage of just 24 delegates.
Read the rest of this entry »