Hillary Clinton holds key as Democrats meet in Denver

Barack Obama's choice of Senator Joe Biden as his running mate has generally met with approval among Democrats and media commentators - except within one crucial camp, the supporters of Hillary Clinton. As they gather in Denver for the Democratic Party convention starting today, some still wearing their 'Women for Hillary' buttons, many are furious to have discovered that the team looking at possible vice presidential candidates did not even bother to vet Mrs Clinton, despite the millions of votes she attracted during the primaries.

"There's a lot of pain that needs to be addressed," Laura Boyd, a Clinton delegate in Oklahoma, told the Wall Street Journal.

During the long primary campaign, Obama had said more than once that Clinton would be "on anyone's short list" for vice president. Yet, when asked by ABC news why Obama hadn't chosen Clinton, Obama strategist David Axelrod could only come up with the thought that Clinton was "going to be an important voice in this campaign" but that Obama felt Biden would be the "best fit for him at this time".

This is not going to pacify the vast majority of Clinton supporters - particularly women and older and working-class voters - Obama has yet to win over. And the resulting tension has allowed the Republican candidate John McCain to attempt to drive a wedge between the two camps.

On Sunday, the McCain team unveiled a new campaign ad questioning why Obama hadn't chosen Clinton as his running mate. "She won millions of votes. But isn't on the ticket? Why?" the voiceover asks. There follows a litany of attacks made by Clinton against Obama during the primaries. "For speaking the truth," the voiceover concludes.

The question now is how will Hillary Clinton conduct herself in Denver. She has issued a brief statement welcoming Biden's appointment: "Senator Biden will be a purposeful and dynamic vice who will help Senator Obama both win the presidency and govern this great country."

But whatever show of unity she may offer this week, it is no secret that she believes Obama is a high-risk candidate who could lose against McCain. And a new Wall Street Journal/NBC poll has found that only half of those who voted for Clinton in the primaries plan to vote for Obama in November - while 21 per cent plan to vote for McCain, even if it means voting Republican.

Clinton has promised to "release" her delegates to Obama on Wednesday but some of her supporters still say they will refuse to move their votes to Obama. Pat Bakalian, a Clinton delegate from Santa Cruz, California, told the Associated Press she had come to Denver to vote for Clinton, "and it's what I'm going to do". Obama had not yet won their support and she was waiting to see how Clinton was treated at the convention.

FIRST POSTED AUGUST 25, 2008