Furor Over Hillary Convention Snub

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton insists she's not disappointed that she won't be getting a prominent speaking role at the party's national convention.

"I've had many opportunities in the past," she told Binghamton, N.Y., radio station WNBF on Wednesday. "I'm not at all deterred from going and being part of this exciting convention."

But a leading Democratic fund-raiser says she's outraged by Clinton's exclusion.

"It's a slap in the face, not personally for Hillary Clinton, but for every woman in the Democratic Party and every woman in America," said Judith Hope.

Hope said she would appeal to Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry to "correct this omission" and would send an e-mail message to more than 1,000 New York women — "many of them major donors to the Kerry campaign" — complaining about the slight.

The Kerry campaign had no immediate comment.

On Tuesday, Kerry aides announced the prime-time speaking lineup for the four-day convention in Boston that begins July 26, a list that included former Presidents Carter and Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore and Christie Vilsack, wife of Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack. The list did not include the former first lady and New York's junior senator.

Asked about Clinton's role Tuesday, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, the convention chairman, said, "Senator Clinton will speak also. She's a major star in the party."

But later, convention officials said Clinton would appear at the convention's opening night as part of a special segment featuring all the women senators, but she was not expected to speak.

"To include the wife of the governor of Iowa, who I'm sure is a wonderful woman, and to not include Hillary Clinton is just such a glaring injustice," Hope said.

"It is, frankly, very stupid," she added.

In May, Kerry campaign officials had said both President Clinton and his wife would play prominent roles at the convention.

"It's a total outrage," Hope said. "Women all over New York state and all over America are being asked to carry a very heavy responsibility for winning this election for the Democrats."

Clinton has been campaigning across the country for Kerry and has become one of the campaign's major fund-raising attractions.

"Hillary Clinton has been a team player for this ticket from Day One," Hope said.

Hope declined to speculate on why Sen. Clinton had not been offered a prominent speaking role at the convention.

Clinton herself told WNBF "those are decisions that are made based on a whole raft of issues." She did not elaborate.

If Kerry falters this year, his running mate, Sen. John Edwards, and Clinton would be seen as the top candidates for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.

Asked by The New York Times for its Wednesday editions why Sen. Clinton was not invited to speak at the convention, Kerry campaign spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said: "She never asked."