What Obama is planning has a dual motive, some Democratic strategists say. Apart from pressuring McCain, Obama may want to rebut the argument that he has faltered in large swing states. By campaigning in those states, he can demonstrate to nervous superdelegates that he will compete aggressively against McCain.
"There's a certain cleverness in the strategy," said Peter Fenn, a Democratic strategist not aligned with either campaign, who says Obama is saying, " 'I can prove to everybody I can handle John McCain' -- which is of course about the only argument that Hillary Clinton has left in this."
Obama already devotes considerable time to McCain at his rallies. Before the Indiana and North Carolina primaries, there were moments when Clinton seemed an afterthought in contrast to the time Obama spent criticizing McCain.
As Obama begins acting like the de facto nominee, Clinton is giving no quarter. Her campaign said she wouldn't settle for anything less than the top job.
Harold M. Ickes, a top advisor to Clinton, said in an interview that the second spot on the ticket had no allure. He cited her election-night party Tuesday, when Clinton said she was moving "full speed on to the White House."
Ickes: "She meant the Oval Office, not the office down the hall."
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peter.nicholas@latimes.com
