Jimmy Carter: Hillary As Obama VP 'Big Mistake'

Damn! Talk about not mincing words:

Naming Hillary Clinton as Barack Obama’s vice presidential running mate “would be the worst mistake that could be made,” said former President Jimmy Carter.

In an interview Carter gave to the U.K.-based publication,” The Guardian,” Carter urged Democratic presidential nominee Obama not to pick the New York Senator for the bottom slot on his general election ticket. Carter cites opinion polls showing that half of U.S. voters have a negative view of Clinton.

His comments only add to the sharply opinionated speculation about whether Obama should reach out to Clinton with an invitation to be his running mate. Clinton said on a conference call with lawmakers Tuesday that she would be open to a VP slot “if it would help the party.”

Coupled with the many questions and biases Obama already faces, Carter maintains this would significantly damage Obama's chances in November.

After formally endorsing Obama for president Tuesday, Carter asserts Obama and Clinton together on the same ticket “would just accumulate the negative aspects of both candidates.”

“If you take that 50 percent who just don’t want to vote for Clinton and add it to whatever element there might be who don’t think Obama is white enough or old enough or experienced enough, or because he’s got a middle name that sounds Arab, you could have the worst of both worlds,” Carter said.