Mancini's Commentaries

Leahy urges Clinton to drop out

A U.S. senator told Vermont Public Radio that Hillary Clinton needs to abandon her run for the Democratic Party nomination for president. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said the former first lady and senator from New York is hurting the party's chances of winning the White House in November the longer she and Sen. Barack Obama are in a nasty fight for the nomination. "I am very concerned. John McCain (presumptive GOP nominee,) who has been making one gaffe after another, is getting a free ride on it because Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton have to fight with each other. I think that her criticism is hurting him more than anything John McCain has said. I think that's unfortunate," Leahy said. Clinton can't catch up with Obama on the committed delegate count, but hopes to persuade superdelegates, those who are unbound to vote for any candidate, to vote for her at the convention. It's virtually impossible for her to do that, Leahy said. "There is no way that Sen. Clinton is going to win enough delegates to get the nomination. She ought to withdraw and she ought to be backing Sen. Obama," said Leahy, a superdelegate who backs Obama. "Now, obviously that's a decision that only she can make. Frankly I feel that she would have a tremendous career in the Senate."