MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

McCain ready to take Hillary-Obama or Obama-Hillary ticket

Encouraged by her big primary victories Hillary Clinton hinted on Wednesday at the possibility of sharing the United States Democratic presidential ticket with Barack Obama as vicepresident hopeful. But Obama stressed that he still holds the lead in number of delegates.

In a night that failed to provide clarity in the fierce Democratic race, John McCain clinched the Republican nomination and on Wednesday received the endorsement of President George Bush at the White House. Mrs. Clinton won primaries in Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island, halting Obama's streak of 11 victories, who this time only won in Vermont. Obama said he was ready to take a more aggressive approach in his battle with Hillary and expressed frustration at what he called a "very negative" campaign his rival had run against him in recent days, which seemed to be one factor in his setback. But press reports also indicate to two minor stumbles by Obama: last month his economic advisor Austan Goolsbee Obama's met a Canadian diplomat and according to a leaked memo Goolsbee said that Canada should not worry about the campaign's professed hostility to NAFTA. Such comments were "more reflective of political manoeuvering than policy". This was followed on March 3 in Chicago by the trial on corruption charges of an Obama old friend and fund raiser, Tony Rezko. In a press conference in San Antonio, the great orator Mr. Obama felt very uncomfortable about questions on the two incidents and it showed on television. Anyhow the wins gave fresh momentum to Mrs. Clinton who projected confidence, suggesting she might want Obama as her vice-presidential running mate. Asked on CBS's The Early Show whether she and Obama should be on the same ticket, Clinton said: "that may be where this is headed, but of course we have to decide who is on the top of ticket. I think the people of Ohio very clearly said that it should be me". Obama, who had hoped to knock Hillary out, said he would prevail against a tenacious candidate who "just keeps on ticking". Mrs. Clinton acknowledged the race was close and said it would come down to her credentials on national security and the economy. Mrs. Clinton's comeback extended the longest and costliest nominating race in US history and ensured weeks or months more of bruising battle for the right to face John McCain. But Obama, 46, stressed Mrs. Clinton still faced tough odds to overhaul his lead of about 100 in the race for the 2,025 delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination. Obama currently has 1.477 and Hillary 1.391. "The bottom line though is we come out of the evening essentially the same lead in delegates as we had been going in," Obama told Fox television. The hard-fought Democratic presidential duel now moves to contests in Wyoming and Mississippi and the next major showdown in Pennsylvania on April 22.