by John McCormick, updated
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Repeating an answer he has given before, Sen. Barack Obama said Sen. Hillary Clinton should not bother to ask him to be her running mate, should she win the Democratic presidential nomination.
“No, as I said, I’m not running for vice president,” Obama said, when asked whether he would consider such an offer.
The senator is appearing inside a tiny auditorium at Coe College, lit with red and blue lights, as part of a presidential candidate series sponsored by MTV and MySpace.com.
The room, with about 200 students, is a configured like a theater in the round. The crowd of students seems pretty friendly, including several who are wearing his campaign T-shirts.
“The senator is in the building,” an MTV reporter breathlessly announced as he was on his way inside.
“I’m battle ready, battle tested,” Obama, dressed hip for the kids with a suit and no tie, told the camera crew outside the building.
Obama had earlier been asked about the controversy surrounding gospel singer Rev. Donnie McClurkin, who sang in South Carolina on his behalf over the weekend.
“He had some views that are anti-gay,” Obama said. “I said publicly that I disagreed with them.”
You can watch the show at this link More Top Picks Best Board Game
The show inside is now over, as Obama heads outside for a rally with students under a gorgeous fall sun.