Pledged Delegates In Play?

Roger Simon reported in Politico this a.m. that an unnamed senior Clinton staffer told him the campaign would soon go after its rival's pledged delegates. The revelation started tongues a wagging in Barack Obama's camp, giving David Plouffe a quick and easy reason to summon reporters for the conference call du jour.

“Every day there seems to be a new tactic they’re developing that might allow them to pull a rabbit out of hat and subvert the will of the voters,” Plouffe said on the call.

Plouffe was joined on the call by former DNC chairman David Wilhelm who said that the Obama team has always "played by the rules." He noted Florida and Michigan as one example. He said the Simon piece is "beyond troubling" and urged party elders to get involved.

"I would just add that sometimes nominations are not worth having, and one of those times would be when the nomination comes at the cost of ripping the party apart," Wilhelm said.

But Clinton spokesman Phil Singer issued a statement to On Call that suggests Simon's source was misguided. Wooing already pledged delegates, he said, is not on HRC's agenda.

"We have not, are not and will not pursue the pledged delegates of Barack Obama," Singer said. "It's now time for the Obama campaign to be clear about their intentions regarding our pledged delegates."

(JENNIFER SKALKA)