WASHINGTON — Barack Obama accused rival Hillary Rodham Clinton Monday of trying to "hoodwink" and "bamboozle" voters into thinking that she was the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination by hinting that he could take the second slot on her ticket.
The New York senator and her husband, former President Clinton, both suggested in recent days that Obama, a first-term senator from Illinois, was not seasoned enough to be president but might make a good vice presidential candidate on a ticket topped by Clinton.
Obama, at a rally in Columbus, Miss., on the eve of Mississippi's primary today, rejected the "gamesmanship" of Clinton casting herself as the top Democrat. Though he did not rule out the No. 2 post, Obama emphasized that he is aiming for the presidency.
"First of all, with all due respect, I've won twice as many states as Sen. Clinton, I've won more of the popular vote than Sen. Clinton, I have more delegates than Sen. Clinton," he told a cheering crowd of about 1,700. "So I don't know how somebody who is in second place is offering the vice presidency to the person who's in first place."
Calling Clinton's tactics an attempt "to bamboozle you, to hoodwink you," Obama said voters had to make a choice.
"I want everybody to be absolutely clear," he said. "I don't want anybody here thinking that somehow, 'Well, you know, maybe I can get both.' Don't think that way. You have to make a choice in this election."
Obama said: "I am not running for vice president. I am running for president of the United States of America."
Obama is favored to win in Mississippi, where 37% of the Democratic electorate is African American. Thirty-three pledged delegates are at stake. But the Clinton campaign is working to keep Obama him from scoring a landslide.
Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea stumped in Mississippi over the weekend, and Hillary Clinton campaigned there last week. On Monday, the New York senator stumped in the next big state on the calendar -- Pennsylvania, where 158 pledged delegates are at stake in its April 22 primary.
According to the Associated Press, Obama leads Clinton in delegates 1,579 to 1,473. To capture the nomination, a candidate needs 2,025.
During a campaign stop in Scranton, Pa., Clinton appeared to retreat from the suggestion of a Clinton-Obama ticket, saying it was "preliminary" to discuss the selection of a vice president.
