Clinton Lets Others Plead for Stage Role
By RAYMOND HERNANDEZ
Published: July 15, 2004
WASHINGTON, July 14 - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said on Wednesday that she was not upset that Democratic Party leaders had not given her a speaking role at the Democratic National Convention in Boston later this month.
During an appearance on a radio show in Binghamton, N.Y., Mrs. Clinton laughed when asked if she was disappointed about not being included in the lineup of convention speakers.
"No," she said, "I've had many opportunities in the past."
At the same time, however, several of her supporters spent the day negotiating with convention organizers for a solution to the situation, party operatives said....
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Many Democrats say the decision (to name John Edwards running mate) means Mr. Edwards could present an alternative to Mrs. Clinton in 2008, if President Bush is re-elected this year. Some Democrats wondered whether this potential rivalry was behind the decision to keep Mrs. Clinton off the list of convention speakers....
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Mrs. Clinton, who has been raising money and campaigning for the Democratic presidential ticket,...said that the "real emphasis" at the convention ought to be on Mr. Edwards and Mr. Kerry....
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/15/nyregion/15hillary.html