Carter Warns Against Obama-Clinton Combination

Amid calls for Barack Obama, who sealed the Democratic presidential nomination, to choose his former competitor, Sen. Hillary Clinton, as his vice presidential nominee in the upcoming presidential election, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter dismissed those calls as “the worst mistake that could be made.”

The former president, who endorsed Obama, said in an interview with English daily The Guardian, “If Obama picks Sen. Clinton as his running mate, that would just accumulate the negative aspects of both candidates.”

"If you take that 50 percent who just don`t want to vote for Clinton and add it to whatever element there might be who don`t think Obama is white enough or old enough or experienced enough or because he`s got a middle name that sounds Arab, you could have the worst of both worlds," he added.

As an ideal candidate for vice president who can make up for Obama’s weak points, Carter recommended Sam Nunn, the former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Supporters of Clinton, however, appear to be waiting for Obama to choose her for the No.2 slot. Clinton’s communications director said that Clinton will be hosting an event in Washington on Saturday to thank her supporters and express her support for Obama.

Obama, for his part, has yet to give any hint whether he would like her on the ticket. “We will talk about it soon. I believe the Democratic Party will unite to win the November presidential election,” said Obama after a brief meeting with Clinton at the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, an influential pro-Israel lobbying group.

Asked whether he considers Clinton a special case as a candidate, he answered that she is “special,” but stressed he would choose his vice presidential nominee prudently.

Obama has set up a small team of advisers, including Caroline Kennedy, daughter of late President John Kennedy, to help vet the vice presidential candidates.

As of Wednesday night, Obama secured a total of 2,175 delegates, 57 more than the 2,118 needed to win his party`s nomination for president, according to an Associated Press count.

will71@donga.com