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Washington: Bill Clinton, once his wife's greatest political asset, is now viewed by Barack Obama as such a liability that he is likely to scupper Hillary Clinton's chances of becoming the Democratic vice-presidential candidate.
Sources close to the Obama campaign have indicated that Bill Clinton's reluctance to name donors to his presidential library and concerns about possible extra-marital affairs mean that his wife would not pass the vetting procedure all potential running mates have to undergo.
"It is absolutely standard operating procedure that vice-presidential candidates today must be fully vetted," a Democratic official close to the Obama campaign said.
Screening
"That means their finances and everything about them. Bill Clinton's not going to submit to vetting. He has not released details of the contributors to his library or his personal finances. Everything has to be disclosed to the law firm overseeing this process. There's a questionnaire. It covers everything, including 'Have you got any girlfriends?'"
Last week, Obama told a prominent supporter of Hillary Clinton that he viewed the former president as a "complication" that made it more difficult for him to choose the former First Lady as a running mate.
The telephone conversation, an attempt to persuade Jill Iscol, a stalwart supporter of Hillary Clinton, to donate money to his general election campaign against the Republican John McCain, gave a rare glimpse into Obama's secret deliberations.
There is little enthusiasm in the Obama camp for selecting Hillary Clinton as a vice-presidential candidate. After a bruising primary battle, her loyalty to Obama is seen as questionable and there are concerns she could alienate centrist voters.
In addition, the foreign donations Bill Clinton secured for his library, his business dealings with countries like Kazakhstan and his obvious antipathy towards Obama in recent months, make the former president a major problem all on his own.
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