May 8, 2008 1:40 PM
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Carter: Tough Luck, Florida And Michigan
Former President Jimmy Carter isn't on board with Hillary Clinton's argument that the disputed delegates from Florida and Michigan must be seated.
Carter told Jay Leno that the states "disqualified themselves" by moving their primary dates forward in violation of party rules, the Associated Press reports. He also said that if superdelegates were to give the nomination to the candidate who trails in the popular vote and delegate count – presumably Clinton – it "would be an almost unacceptable thing."
"It would be a catastrophe for the party," Carter said.
As we noted in a story yesterday, Clinton has a nearly impossible path to her party's nomination, barring some event that convinces a large majority of superdelegates that Obama should not be the Democratic nominee.
Carter himself is among the undecided superdelegates, though he has said this: "My children and their spouses are pro-Obama. My grandchildren are also pro-Obama. As a superdelegate, I would not disclose who I am rooting for, but I leave you to make that guess."
Carter told Jay Leno that the states "disqualified themselves" by moving their primary dates forward in violation of party rules, the Associated Press reports. He also said that if superdelegates were to give the nomination to the candidate who trails in the popular vote and delegate count – presumably Clinton – it "would be an almost unacceptable thing."
"It would be a catastrophe for the party," Carter said.
As we noted in a story yesterday, Clinton has a nearly impossible path to her party's nomination, barring some event that convinces a large majority of superdelegates that Obama should not be the Democratic nominee.
Carter himself is among the undecided superdelegates, though he has said this: "My children and their spouses are pro-Obama. My grandchildren are also pro-Obama. As a superdelegate, I would not disclose who I am rooting for, but I leave you to make that guess."
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Brian Montopoli Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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