Clinton campaigns as attention wanders elsewhere

By Ellen Wulfhorst

SUNRISE, Florida (Reuters) - The souvenir vendors outside Hillary Clinton's campaign appearances have added a new button to their wares that reads "Chelsea in 2016" with a picture of the former first daughter.

Attention, whether from button sellers or the national media, is leaving the fading presidential candidacy of Sen. Hillary Clinton behind as the former front-runner faces what most see as impossible odds to win the Democratic nomination.

Now in the spotlight is her rival, Sen. Barack Obama, who has solidified his lead among Democrats and is setting his sights on Republican candidate John McCain in the November election.

While Obama and McCain spar -- the two clashed this week over whether the United States should talk to leaders of hostile nations -- Clinton's struggle to collect votes in Florida that were cast months ago but invalidated feels like a sideshow.

Obama's milestone victory in Oregon on Tuesday that gave him a majority of pledged delegates to the Democratic nominating convention graced front pages of U.S. newspapers.

Clinton's simultaneous victory in Kentucky, which did little to close her gap with Obama, was a much smaller story.

"The shrinking candidacy of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton all but vanished from the television set," wrote The New York Times.

Even calls for the former first lady to drop out have abated, whether because she seems less of a threat to damage Obama or because she paid them no heed. Despite a campaign deeply in debt, she vows to compete through the last primaries on June 3.