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Clinton Denies Saying Obama 'Cannot Win'; Aides Dispute Question

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April 03, 2008 4:42 PM

ABC News Eloise Harper Reports: Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., denies she told Governor Bill Richardson, D-N.M., that her Democratic nomination rival, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., "cannot win" a general election against presumptive Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

"That's a no," Clinton, D-N.Y., told reporters at the end of a press conference in Burbank, California, when asked if she made the comment in a private conversation with Richardson.

"We have been going back and forth in this campaign of who said what to whom and let me say this, that I don't talk about private conversations but I have consistently made the case that I can win," she said earlier in the press conference.

Clinton aides now insist the Senator misunderstood the question, asserting the candidate believed she was answering whether or not she would discuss a private conversation.

"I just double checked," Doug Hattaway, Clinton spokesperson told ABC News, "She was saying she was not going to tell (the reporter) about her private conversation."

ABC News' George Stephanopoulos reported on Wednesday's World News that sources with direct knowledge of the conversation between Sen. Clinton and Richardson, prior to the Governor's endorsement of Obama say she told him flatly, "He cannot win, Bill. He cannot win."

WATCH GEORGE'S FULL WORLD NEWS REPORT BY CLICKING HERE.

A source with direct knowledge of Richardson's conversations with the Clintons added an intriguing wrinkle to the report: Richardson himself told Sen. Clinton and former President Clinton that he didn't think Obama could win, back when he was (according to the Clintons) telling them earlier this year that he wouldn't endorse Obama.

"Too inexperienced," Richardson said, the source tells ABC News.

For all the latest from the campaign trail, read The Note every day exclusively on ABCNews.com. 

And don't miss "The Last Lecture: A Love Story for Your Life", an unforgettable special about Professor Randy Pausch's inspiring last lecture at Carnegie Mellon about living life to the fullest, only on ABC.

April 3, 2008 in Bush, George W., Hunter, Duncan, Kucinich, Dennis, Tancredo, Tom | Permalink | User Comments (626)

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Running for the Presidency usually exposes a candidates weaknesses. This time, a blind man can see the faults. The bigger problem is seeing any of them worthy of the office. Please God, bring Reagan back.

Posted by: RC Baker | Apr 3, 2008 5:05:37 PM

Hillary spoke the truth, in private! I'm so disappointed in Richardson. He's in league with the devil Obama. All Oprah's money can't buy the truth nor the election. We NEED Hillary to save our nation. Amen.

Posted by: jeep395 | Apr 3, 2008 5:05:47 PM

How can you tell when Hillary is lying? Just watch her face. If her lips move she's lying.

Posted by: Jim Thompson | Apr 3, 2008 5:06:53 PM

"Said it before; Do you get the feeling you are witnessing a murder - suicide?"
That's great!

Posted by: plainsm | Apr 3, 2008 5:06:57 PM

and yet more lies from Hillary. Someone needs help.

Posted by: for Hillary no more | Apr 3, 2008 5:07:06 PM

Oldie but goodie:

How do you know when a Clinton is lying.

Watch their lips - if they're moving (or the they're biting on the bottom one) you can be sure they're lying! LOL

Posted by: josh | Apr 3, 2008 5:07:19 PM

Now let me get this timeline right.

Did she NOT say this before or after she was dodging sniper fire in Bosnia?

Of did she NOT say this before or after the Rose Law Firm records magically appeared on a coffee table in the White House, or after the missing FBI files were returned?

Oh, I got it! It was BEFORE Sandy Burglar stole classified records for the Clinton mafia out of the National Archives, but AFTER she claimed the right-wing conspiracy made up Bill's DNA being on Monica's dress!

Is there a pattern here, or what?????

Posted by: JoeW | Apr 3, 2008 5:07:20 PM

How can she be so stupid?!?! Someone's going to have a tape of that conversation, and she will have to admit to "misspeaking" AGAIN !!!!!!

Posted by: Philip | Apr 3, 2008 5:07:34 PM

Obama , the 1st socialist president...classic right wing nut job blather..no facts just name calling.

Yes the country is doing great under Bush and his crew ( at least those not jailed or indicted)

Posted by: Vince | Apr 3, 2008 5:08:05 PM

Hillary will say that Richardson was sleep deprived and he misunderstood her.

Posted by: Jesse | Apr 3, 2008 5:08:16 PM

MAYBE hILLARY DID NOT SAY IT, BUT IT IS TRUE OBAMA CAN'T WIN

Posted by: Libertyandlife | Apr 3, 2008 5:08:48 PM

Botox must have gotten to her tongue and made her say it, and she can't remember. She now knows she's dead meat, how sweet it is to watch this.

Posted by: Felix | Apr 3, 2008 5:09:16 PM

When will this stop? Whenever she's held accountable for anything, she lies about it. Yet then she goes out and attacks Obama for the things she's guilty of doing.

Can someone please tell me who is still supporting this woman?

Posted by: JW | Apr 3, 2008 5:09:20 PM

George Stephanopoulos is a back-stabbing traitor.

Posted by: Jim H | Apr 3, 2008 5:09:24 PM

Marty Rickard, like your post.

At the outset, what I'm saying is hyperbole, not literal.

When an animal is suffering, we put it out of its misery. Largely for the animal, some for the owner.

The Clintons need to be put out of their misery and out of our misery. And then the country needs a collective shower to get rid of the filth these two spew.

Yeah, most politicians struggle with the truth, these two, when confronted with facts, take it to another level. She's laughable. "I needed to find a way to serve the country after I could not get in the military." Translation: what better way to be self-serving than to run for public office.

Marty, again excellent post. In the workplace, someone does what Bill did, they're fired & have grave difficutly getting any kind of meaningful job. Come to think of it, that's him.

It's not about the will of the voters. Sorry Barack that you got more votes, and the voters think you can win. That doesn't matter (again, I'm a Republican). What matters is what we, the Clintons, think. Well, let's rewrite the Constitution: "we the Clinton's, in order to advance a more perfect form of lying and self-advancement, establish lack of ethics, insure the country is ripped apart politically, provide for Bill's defense fund, promote welfare that has not worked in other countries and will not work in ours, and secure the presidency of the United States, do ordain and establish that we will do it by any and every means possible, and the lower we go, the better it is for us."

YUCK!

Posted by: Dennis P | Apr 3, 2008 5:09:31 PM

Based on this, Hillary should fire her campaign managers.

They've been sending out press releases saying Obama "can not" win the general election and that's why super delegates should support Hillary.

Posted by: Dan | Apr 3, 2008 5:09:36 PM

They are both liars. Remember Richardson's claim to have been drafted by a Major League baseball team? In this case, she probably did say Obama can't win and Richardson probably said the same thing earlier, as reported.

Posted by: Paul Veazey | Apr 3, 2008 5:09:58 PM

They are both liars. Remember Richardson's claim to have been drafted by a Major League baseball team? In this case, she probably did say Obama can't win and Richardson probably said the same thing earlier, as reported.

Posted by: Paul Veazey | Apr 3, 2008 5:10:03 PM

She couldn't have had that conversation. She was too busy saving a baby from a burning building just prior to tackling a mugger trying to steal a 89 year old woman's purse. Also, it couldn't have been that day because she was on a secret mission to Iraq to keep an oil pipe line from being blown up so you can fill your gas tank at 3 am.

Posted by: eagle35 | Apr 3, 2008 5:10:43 PM

Yeah...that's what I would do...listen to anything that came out of Hillary Clinton's mouth. She's a liar and will always be a liar. That's the only fact that I could find in her exchange. That's the Clintons for you though, when in hot water deny deny deny and when caught? ask what the of "is" would be and in what context...liars.

Posted by: Brian | Apr 3, 2008 5:10:56 PM

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