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Clinton question looms ahead of US Democratic convention

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-08-13 08:38

WASHINGTON -- An element of uncertainty looms ahead of the late August Democratic National Convention of the United States as Senator Hillary Clinton's role there are being closely watched, analysts said Tuesday.

Clinton, though defeated by Senator Barack Obama in this year's presidential primary election, can still seek nomination at the convention, in Denver, Colorado, between August 25 and 28, according to party rules.

She can still seek nomination and if she does so, it wouldn't be the first time that a candidate was beaten in the primaries and still formally contested the nomination at the convention.

Moreover, Clinton can still win votes from delegates at the convention even if her name isn't placed in nomination.

But in that case, it'll be the first time in the modern era of US presidential primaries that a losing candidate has so visibly endorsed an opponent so many months before the convention, and then gone on to have his or her name placed in nomination.

In theory, delegates are free to vote for anyone they want to at the convention.

At past conventions, delegates have even been known to vote for fictional characters and dead people.

It's likely that Clinton will pick up some votes unless Obama is nominated by overall acclamation.

But the buzz is that Clinton may take it a step further and have her name formally placed before the convention, complete with nominating speeches, seconding speeches and all the hoopla they produce.

Such a move hasn't happened at either party's convention since 1992, when former California Gov. Jerry Brown had his name placed in nomination after losing the race to Bill Clinton in the primaries.

Between 1972 and 1992, 10 Democratic candidates who lost the nomination in the primaries went on to have their names formally placed in nomination at the convention

However, none of them publicly endorsed their opponent months before the convention, as Clinton did in June.