By Tim Shipman in Washington and Philip Sherwell in Chicago
Telegraph.co.uk
Last Updated: 11:53am GMT 02/10/2008

Hillary Clinton's most senior advisers are in a state of "panic" about her presidential prospects and are plotting to enlist Democrat leaders in Congress to thwart her rival Barack Obama's ambitions.

The Clinton camp is braced for Mr Obama to win a series of primary elections over the next three weeks, which they fear could hand the Illinois senator unstoppable momentum in the race for the White House.

Mr Obama has begun calling those "super delegates" - 795 congressmen and senior party officials who could break a dead heat - who are committed to Mrs Clinton, asking them to change their minds and help him wrap up the nomination.

As of tonight, the two candidates were neck and neck but Mr Obama appeared to be gaining momentum.

"He's saying: 'Hey, I won your state and I won your congressional district, why are you supporting her?'" a Democrat strategist revealed.

The Clinton camp hopes to stop the Obama bandwagon by winning Texas and Ohio primaries on March 4, after which Mrs Clinton is planning to call on party grandees including Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Harry Reid, the party's leader in the Senate, to persuade Mr Obama to stand down.

Clinton aides have privately admitted that Mr Obama would only consider such a move if offered the position of vice presidential running mate, something Mrs Clinton has always been reluctant to consider.

A senior Democrat who has discussed Clinton campaign thinking with a member of her inner circle said: "The Clintons are in a state of panic. She has to win both Texas and Ohio."
But he added that this might prove impossible if Mr Obama maintains his momentum and wins most, or all, of the nine contests which come before that.

Mr Obama won yesterday's primary elections held in Washington state and Nebraska, and is expected to do well in Louisiana.

He is also favourite to sweep Maryland, Virginia, and Washington DC, which all vote on Tuesday, as well as Wisconsin and Hawaii, where he once lived, on February 19.

Only in Maine is Mrs Clinton confident, though Virginia and Wisconsin may also go her way.
Asked about the upcoming states, Mr Obama's chief strategist David Axelrod told The Sunday Telegraph: "We feel comfortable with them. What was once inevitable is no longer inevitable. The momentum has switched in this race.

"We closed a 20 point gap in the national polls in the last two weeks. The more people are exposed to his message, the better he does."

But he added: "We are up against the Clinton machine. We are the perpetual underdog and will be throughout this process. We're ready to go all the way to the convention."
Clinton aides believe that if Mr Obama does not deliver a knock-out blow before March 4, the advantage will swing back to her and she will argue for a deal in which uncommitted super-delegates unite behind her, to preserve party unity.
But the prospect of a deal behind closed doors, that could brush aside the views of voters in the primaries, is already creating fury in the party.

Donna Brazile, an African American strategist, said last week: "If 795 of my colleagues decide this election, I will quit the Democratic Party."

But the Clinton camp fears that a failure to engineer a deal could lead to bitter battles at the Democrat convention in Denver in late August, which could even end with Al Gore, the former vice president, emerging as a compromise candidate.

"There's a five per cent chance of that happening, but that's five percent too high," the Clinton source said.

Mrs Clinton is also under financial pressure.
 
She claimed that she received $7.5m in donations after admitting lending her campaign $5m last week.

But the source claimed that her campaign is actually in far worse financial trouble than they are letting on.

There will be no proof of how much she raised for three months, when the totals are formally declared to election watchdogs.

The one thing the Clinton and Obama camps can agree on is that John McCain, who is popular with independents and moderate Democrats, is their "worst nightmare".

They now fear that he could pick Colin Powell or former congressman JC Watts, both of whom are African American, as his running mate.

But Mr McCain still has to shore up his conservative base and is actively looking at the Governors of Minnesota, South Carolina, Indiana, Mississippi, Florida and Texas: Tim Pawlenty, Mark Sandford, Mitch Daniels, Haley Barbour, Charlie Crist and Rick Perry.

Allies of President Bush are making the case for Rob Portman, a former White House Budget office director and Ohio congressman.

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When will the country wake up and demand that Gore is our next presdient. The country does not want either Clinton or Obama. If they wanted one or the other, we would have a clear winner by now. Wake up democrats or we will have another GOP in the White House. If the media would get a wind of this feeling, they would carry it over the goal line.

We can demand all we want that we need AL GORE as our next president, but it isn't going to do a damn bit of good unless AL wants it. And right now, like others have said, I don't see it happening anytime soon. :angry:

:laugh: :tongue: FIVE PER CENT!!??!! Is there really that much of a chance?

Hey that's 5% higher than we've been hearing about lately - good deal...

If Clinton BLASTS this Election into OUTER SPACE and we get MCCAIN for 4 YEARS...then I say it is TIME to take THEM out of POWER!...McCauliffe SCREWED John Kerry in 2004!...If he and the CLINTONS SCREW THE US PUBLIC IN 2008 IT WILL BE THE LAST TIME THEY DO IT! :mad:

Then it WILL be time for AL GORE!...So GO AHEAD MCAULIFFE... :angry:

INSULT US AGAIN YOU QUEEN!

How about THIS...Terry(you don't deserve my FIRST name)...MAYBE ALL THE GORISTAS SHOULD SIT OUT THIS FRIKKIN ELECTION! :mad:

I am STARTING to turn INTO AN OBAMA SUPPORTER! ;)

Maybe it IS time AL GORE ENDORSED SENATOR OBAMA! :angry:

"Clinton aides have privately admitted that Mr Obama would only consider such a move if offered the position of vice presidential running mate, something Mrs Clinton has always been reluctant to consider."

If Obama has actually considered being VP to Hillary (and she is reluctant), then maybe he would consider bringing Gore in and agreeing to be his VP, if the delegates would go for it. Wouldn't that be great?!! :clap: :clap:

It could be that state of panic is even more justified than we thought.

Barack Obama wins Maine Democratic caucuses with wide margin

5 hours ago

AUGUSTA, Maine - Barack Obama has defeated Hillary Rodham Clinton in Maine presidential caucuses.

Obama grabbed a majority of delegates as the state's Democrats overlooked the snowy weather and turned out in heavy numbers for municipal gatherings.

With 70 per cent of the participating precincts reporting, Obama led in state delegates elected over Clinton, 58 per cent to 41 per cent.

The voting came a day after Obama and Clinton made personal appeals here, and after Obama picked up wins in Louisiana, Nebraska and Washington.

The Canadian Press - 2008