By GEOFF EARLE and MAGGIE HABERMAN
June 4, 2008
Hillary Rodham Clinton opened the door yesterday to being Barack Obama's running mate.
In a conference call with New York lawmakers, she expressed interest for the first time in the No. 2 spot on the Democratic ticket.
"I am open to it," Clinton said when asked whether she'd be willing to join a "dream ticket."
Clinton said she was receptive to "anything that would help Democrats win in December," according to a source.
More than a dozen prominent and up-and-coming Democrats have been mentioned as Obama's running mate, including vanquished primary rivals John Edwards and Bill Richardson.
But Clinton is the best-known possible running mate and could add her voters to Obama's base.
"It's the way to put this race together because the constituencies are so different," said California Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
Top Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod and another top staffer, Robert Gibbs, briefed reporters on a flight with the candidate yesterday but refused to discuss in any way the vice presidential search or whether Clinton would be considered.
Clinton made her comments after prodding on the conference call by Rep. Nydia Velazquez, who brought up Clinton's strength among Hispanics and working-class voters in the primaries.
"She definitely said she would be" interested in being vice president, said another source.
The Clinton camp put out a statement saying she was asked about being the veep and responded she would "do whatever she could" to help the Democrats win in November.
Additional reporting by Charles Hurt in Chicago and Daphne Retter in DC
