By Caren Bohan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Likely U.S. Democratic presidentialnominee Barack Obama met privately with former rival HillaryClinton on Thursday as the party sought to unite for thegeneral election campaign after a long nomination battle.
"Senator Clinton and Senator Obama met tonight and had aproductive discussion about the important work that needs to bedone to succeed in November," said a statement issued by thetwo campaigns.
Obama campaign spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters on aflight to Chicago that the Illinois senator met with Clintonbut he declined to disclose the location or details of whatthey discussed.
Obama had been scheduled to fly back to Chicago on Thursdayevening after a rally in northern Virginia, but skipped theflight and slipped away from the reporters travelling with himin order to meet secretly with Clinton.
Gibbs denied media reports that the meeting took place atClinton's home in Washington.
As Obama enjoyed his first campaign swing as the likelyDemocratic presidential nominee, some prominent supporters ofClinton launched an effort to pressure him to invite her tojoin his ticket as the No. 2 in the general election battleagainst Republican John McCain.
But Clinton distanced herself from the push and said thedecision on a vice president was his alone to make.
Critics of Clinton have accused her of trying to force herway on to the ticket. An aide to the New York senator issued astatement trying to dispel that impression.
"While Senator Clinton has made clear throughout thisprocess that she will do whatever she can to elect a Democratto the White House, she is not seeking the vice presidency, andno one speaks for her but her," said spokesman Phil Singer."The choice here is Senator Obama's and his alone."
Backers of an Obama-Clinton ticket believe it would be thebest way to unify the Democratic Party after the hard-fought,16-month race between the candidates.
Obama made history on Tuesday when he became the firstblack to win a U.S. major-party presidential nomination.Clinton would have been the first woman to do so.
The former first lady did not immediately concede the racebut told supporters in a letter on Wednesday she would hold anevent on Saturday where she would formally back Obama.
Obama has not tipped his hand about whom he might pick ashis running mate and when asked publicly about the option ofchoosing Clinton, he has praised her but emphasized hisselection process would be deliberative and wide-ranging.
Clinton was seen as having promoted the idea of herbecoming the vice presidential nominee when she told supportersin a conference call on Tuesday that she would be "open" to itif it would help her party win the White House.
Obama told reporters he appreciated the statement fromClinton's aide deferring to him on the running mate choice.
POTENTIAL VICE PRESIDENTIAL PICK
At the northern Virginia rally attended by 10,000 people,Obama shared the media spotlight with someone cited frequentlyby pundits as a potential running mate: Virginia Sen. Jim Webb.
Webb, who had remained neutral as Obama and Clinton battledfor the nomination, gave the Illinois senator an emphaticendorsement as he introduced him.
"I'm honoured to stand alongside this man, a man of greatintellect who over the past 16 months has impressed all of usas he stood up to sometimes withering attacks with measuredresponses, unshakable composure," Webb said.
The decorated Marine veteran of the Vietnam War said Obama"has given all of us confidence in the steadiness that we wantto see in a commander in chief."
In his Virginia speech, Obama said he hoped he and McCaincould have a respectful debate about policy issues and keep thecampaign from getting bogged down by "name-calling" and"scandal-mongering."
The Illinois senator told McCain of that wish when thepresumptive Republican nominee called Obama to congratulate himon Wednesday.
"I said that I was looking forward to a civil, substantivedebate on the issues. And he agreed," Obama said, adding theydiscussed McCain's idea of appearing jointly at town-hall styleforums. Obama's campaign has said it is open to such formatsand the two camps are exchanging views on options.
But Obama did not hold back from attacking McCain. At anevent in southwestern Virginia earlier in the day, Obamalikened his Republican rival's health care proposals to thoseof the unpopular President George W. Bush. He said McCain'sideas amounted to "Bush light."
McCain's campaign hit back, deriding Obama's attempts tocast himself as someone who could rise above party divisions.
"Barack Obama has no record of bipartisan success," saidMcCain spokesman Tucker Bounds, adding Obama had voted "inlock-step with his party on issues from tax relief to fundingof the Iraq war.
(Additional reporting by Jeff Mason, Donna Smith; editingby Mohammad Zargham)
(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visitReuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online athttp://blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)
