Below The Beltway

Via Bloomberg, comes word that CNN is reporting that there are ongoing talks between the Clinton and Obama campaigns about the Vice-Presidency.

Here’s the video:

And a basic summary of the report:

The first is that Obama chooses someone else to be Vice President; the second is that Obama publicly offers the VP slot to her and she declines; the third is that somehow Obama and Clinton get together personally and work something out. They don’t say much about option three. Option two seems not to be working: they claim that the Obama people are worried that she might just take the VP slot. But it’s what they say about the first that’s really striking.

They think that for Obama to choose someone else as his running mate would be “a total dismissal”, and “totally unacceptable to their camp, one of them saying that it could mean open civil war within the party,” and that “it wouldn’t mean that Clinton wouldn’t campaign for Obama — she would — but she would do so like Bill Clinton campaigned for Al Gore, quite aloof. They do not believe that this would be acceptable.”

So, you heard it here — the Clinton campaign is threatening “open civil war” in the Democratic Party if Obama picks someone other than her for the Veep slot and demanding that she be shown “respect” as if this was The Godfather and she was Don Corleone, or, I should say, Don Clinton.

Hilzoy compares what Hillary is doing with what she should have done:

Right now, instead of floating demands in the press and comparing herself to abolitionists and suffragists, she could be telling her supporters that she lost fair and square; that while there was a lot of sexism in the campaign, there was racism as well, and that sexism does not explain why a candidate with literally every institutional advantage over her opponent lost the nomination. She could be reaching out to the voters who supported her in places where Obama has had trouble, and urging them to vote for him. She could, in a word, be doing the right thing: trying to earn that respect she seems to want.

Instead, she’s throwing tantrums, making demands that she has no right to make, and threatening civil war.

I can’t imagine a better demonstration of why she should not be President or Vice President. Nor can I imagine a better demonstration of why some of us who are committed feminists are not happy with her as our standard-bearer. She lost. It happens. If she were an adult or a professional, she would deal with it. Apparently, she is neither.

And over at Wizbang, Kim Preistap fast forwards to August 28th, 2008 if Hillary’s temper tantrum is satisfied:

If Obama actually chooses Hillary to be his VP, which I know some people say he has to truly consider since so many of Clinton’s supporters will not vote for Obama, he will be asking for big trouble with a capital T. Bill Clinton will cast a huge shadow and will act like he’s running for president. Rush mentioned this on his radio show the other day and he’s right.

Just imagine the scene: it’s the last night of the Democratic National Convention. Barack and Michelle Obama are on stage with Bill and Hillary Clinton. The music is playing, the crowd is cheering, the balloons are dropping, the confetti is swirling.

And there’s Bill with that smug smile plastered on his face, acting like it’s all about him

And, you know, I think that, for him, it really is all about him.

Why else would we be seeing nonsense like this ?

If Hillary Clinton doesn’t make it back to the White House, maybe former first daughter Chelsea will.

Former President Bill Clinton tells People magazine that Chelsea Clinton, who had stayed far away from politics, could jump in.

I’m beginning to think that this is all about satisfying the ego of one of the most narcissistic men every to occupy the White House.