Hillary knew Obama was unlikely to pick her as running mate

Washington, Aug 27 : Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in a private meeting with Barack Obama after she conceded the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, made a request that he consider her for his vice presidential running mate, but not put her through the charade of being evaluated if he was not serious.

The question of how seriously Obama considered tapping Clinton for the ticket has become a source of unhappiness for both sides of late. Clinton was never asked for the official vetting paperwork when other potential running mates were.

Obama never invited her to have a real conversation about potentially joining forces, although the two spent time together at several events.

Obama told Clinton then it was unlikely he would choose her, people familiar with the conversation said. Obama did not want to lead her on and, after campaigning against her for more than a year, already had a sense that their pairing would not be the right fit.

As Clinton prepares for her address to the Democratic convention Tuesday night, Obama's decision to pass her over remains central to the ongoing story of their strained relationship, the Washington Post reported.

Those revelations, coming as the two camps converged on Denver and Obama chose Joseph R. Biden Jr. to join him on the ticket, angered many Clinton supporters who felt she had at least earned the right to greater consideration after winning 18 million primary votes.

The arguments against Obama choosing Clinton were evident from the start: Her campaign, rife with internal struggles, bore no resemblance to his tightly run operation; the two had little personal chemistry; and hard feelings lingered after what had been a bruising primary.

Obama advisers said they did not want to raise expectations for Clinton knowing they would probably be dashed, especially after she asked not to be put through an artificial process.

At the same time, aides said, Obama did, in fact, consider whether he should revisit the idea of an Obama-Clinton ticket as he went through the selection process.

But in effect, he did not really consider Clinton for the No. 2 spot. Even toward the end of his decision-making process, as he was weighing alternatives and leaning toward Biden, Obama raised the idea of Clinton once more with the close circle of associates helping him make the decision -- but ultimately concluded that it was not the correct course.

The campaign has declined repeatedly to delve into specifics about exactly what it was that Obama did not feel comfortable with.

ANI