Ed Klein: Hillary Clinton Declined to Consider VP Slot

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton just two weeks ago resisted pressure from her husband and a top Obama aide to consider replacing Vice President Joe Biden on the Democratic ticket, according to Ed Klein, author of “The Amateur,” a bestselling book about the president.

The idea was that Clinton would set the foundation for a presidential run of her own, with former President Bill Clinton at her side, Klein, former editor-in-chief of The New York Times Magazine, told The Washington Examiner.

"As recently as a couple of weeks ago, the White House was putting out feelers to see if Hillary Clinton was interested in replacing Joe Biden on the ticket," Klein said. "Bill Clinton, I'm told, was urging his wife to accept the number two spot if it was formally offered. Bill sees the vice presidency as the perfect launching pad for Hillary to run for president in 2016."

Klein said unnamed sources told him that Valerie Jarrett, a senior advisor to Obama and reportedly one of his closest aides, broached the vice presidency during a lunch with Hillary Clinton. "The lunch was ostensibly about policy issues, but the subject of the vice presidency came up," he said. "Hillary told Valerie Jarrett that she was not interested in running as Obama's vice president."

Obama himself has never discussed the vice presidency with Hillary Clinton, Klein said. He said that’s because Obama is afraid she’ll shun the idea and then Bill Clinton will inform the media of the rejection.

The White House has scoffed at speculation that Biden would be replaced. The talk heated up after his most recent gaffes.

Klein said Clinton offered two reasons why she isn’t interested in the position. First, if Obama wins, she doesn’t want to be associated with his liberal policies in her own bid for the White House in 2016. And second, if Obama loses, she doesn’t want to be associated with a loser.

Bill Clinton already is toiling hard to jumpstart a 2016 campaign for his wife, Klein said. Sources told him that Bill Clinton is hunting for a Democratic fat cat who would let her use his/her jet. In addition, he’s seeking a replacement to run the Clinton Global Initiative "so that he can devote his full time to Hillary's campaign."

Klein said his sources told him that Hillary Clinton is looking for a rest from politics before getting back in the fray. "She clearly is exhausted. She needs to lose weight and get her energy back for a four-year slog." Clinton has said she is retiring from politics after Obama’s first term.

Clinton's team strongly denied Klein's claim — in verse.

Channelling Dr. Seuss, State Department spokesman Philippe Reines sent an email to the Weekly Standard saying:

"This did not happen
"They did not have lunch
"They did not have any meal
"They did not meet this month
"They did not meet last month
"They did not meet in 2012
"They did not meet in 2011, 2010, 2009
"This is not happening
"Truth is that Ed Klein is an idiot with not a shred of credibility
"Truth is that Ed Klein's motto is 'If at first you don't succeed, lie lie again.'"