Obama finally struck back at the Clintons’ sugestions that he would make a fabulous vice president, urging voters not to be hoodwinked and trotting out Bill Clinton’s own criteria for his VP choice in 1992.
Bill Clinton on CBS News on May 22, 1992:
Q. What’s–what’s the most important criteria, as far as you’re concerned?
A. Someone who would be a good president if, God forbid, something happened to me a week after I took office. That’s the most important thing.
Obama to reporters today in Jackson Mississippi:
They have been spending the last two, three weeks — remember with that advertisement with the phone call? — telling everyone, getting all of (these) generals to say well we are not sure he is ready; “I am ready on day one,” “He may not be ready yet.” But I don’t understand it. If I’m not ready how is it that you think I should be such a great Vice President. Do you understand that?
See I was trying to explain to somebody a while back…the okidoke. You all know the okidoke. When somebody is trying to bamboozle you, when they are trying to hoodwink you. They are trying to hoodwink you.
You can’t say that he is not ready on day one, unless he is willing to be your Vice President then he is ready on day one.
Obama also made the case his staff had started to make over the weekend:
I have won twice as many states as Senator Clinton. I have won more of the popular vote than Senator Clinton. I have more delegates than Senator Clinton. So I don’t know how somebody who is in second place is offering the Vice Presidency to the person who is in first place. I mean. I am just wondering. I am just wondering. If I was in second place I could understand it, but I am in first place right now.