Clinton, Obama respond to announcement of Nader candidacy

Consumer advocate Ralph Nader has announced his intention to make a 3rd consecutive run for the White House.

Here's the response from Barack Obama:

Barack Obama said today during a visit at the Ohio State University Medical Center that he wasn’t terribly concerned about the prospect of a Nader campaign. “I think the job of the Democratic Party is to be so compelling that a few percentage [points] of the vote going to another candidate is not going to make any difference.”

Here's Hillary Clinton's response:

Sen. Hillary Clinton, suggesting that Ralph Nader's Green Party candidacy cost the nation the "greenest president'' it could have had with Al Gore in 2000, said today that Nader's new candidacy for the White House poses an unwelcome distraction.

“Obviously it’s not helpful to whoever our Democratic nominee is,'' said Clinton, coming back on her campaign plane to speak with reporters. "But it’s a free country.

"I don’t know what party he’ll run on,'' she said. "Where did he run on last time? Does anybody remember? ... Was it on the Green Party?''

He was Green in 2000, an independent in '04.

"Well, you know, his being on the Green Party (ticket) prevented Al Gore from being the greenest president we could have had, and I think that’s really unfortunate,'' Clinton said. "I think we paid a big price for it.”