Clintons creating new headaches for Obama

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two months after grudgingly admitting defeat, Democrat Hillary Clinton and her ex-president husband are causing new headaches for Barack Obama as he tries to focus on Republican rival John McCain.

Former President Bill Clinton raised eyebrows this week in a TV interview in which he refused to say Obama is qualified to be president other than meeting the constitutional requirement of being a natural-born citizen at least 35 years old.

"You could argue that nobody is ever ready to be president," Clinton said when pressed by ABC News on whether he thought Obama was qualified.

Then a video surfaced of Hillary Clinton saying at a California reception last week that her supporters deserve to have their voices heard at the Democratic convention beginning August 25 in Denver where Obama will formally be nominated as the party's candidate.

"Because I know from just what I'm hearing, that there's incredible pent-up desire," Clinton said in the video posted on YouTube. "And I think that people want to feel like, 'OK, it's a catharsis, we're here, we did it, and then everybody get behind Senator Obama.' That is what most people believe is the best way to go."

Clinton said she wanted Obama to be nominated by a unified convention, but her remarks left an impression she would not object if her supporters made a symbolic show of support by nominating her as the candidate, while knowing that the effort would fail.

Taken together, the Clintons' comments were evidence that some bitterness lingers two months after Clinton battled Obama to a near-draw, gave up her campaign and asked him to help her retire a multimillion dollar campaign debt.

Part of their frustration may well stem from signs that she has not been seriously considered by Obama as his vice presidential running mate, a job she did not close the door to after ceding defeat.

"WORKING TOGETHER"

The Clinton video prompted the Obama campaign to issue a joint Clinton-Obama statement stressing that "we are working together" to make the convention and campaign for the November 4 election a success.

"At the Democratic convention, we will ensure that the voices of everyone who participated in this historic process are respected and our party will be fully unified heading into the November election," said Obama spokesman Bill Burton.

Obama, speaking to reporters on his campaign plane on Thursday, said he had spoken to both Clintons separately in recent days and that he believed former President Clinton had shown "extraordinary restraint in a fairly provocative interview."

Obama said Hillary Clinton was campaigning for him in Nevada and Florida before the convention. Asked if it would be cathartic to have Clinton's name come up for a floor vote at the convention, Obama suggested it was not a great idea.

"I'm letting our respective teams work out the details. I don't think we're looking for catharsis. I think what we're looking for is energy and excitement about the prospects of changing this country," Obama said.

Democratic strategist Doug Schoen, who worked in the Clinton White House, said the Clintons should be given a prominent role at the convention, but that she should not be symbolically nominated as the candidate.

"My point would be, we need unity," he said.

Another party strategist, Liz Chaddedon, had a tough message for the Clintons, saying it was time for them to move off the political stage. "For them to be such incredible sore losers is a shame," she said.

Stephen Hess, a political science professor at George Washington University, said if the Clintons are having trouble leaving the limelight, it is because the news media will not let them.

Having said that, however, Hess said Clinton "should be careful of how distracting she could be."

"She's done very well up until this point. People have the sense that she's done those things that are appropriate to help the Democrats win the presidency," said Hess.

(Additional reporting by Caren Bohan, editing by David Wiessler)