Geraldine Ferraro: "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position"

WASHINGTON — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., said Tuesday she disagrees with Geraldine Ferraro, one of her fundraisers and the 1984 vice presidential candidate, for suggesting that Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., only achieved his status in the presidential race because he’s black.

Ferraro told the Daily Breeze of Torrance, Calif.: “If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept.”

Clinton said, “It’s regrettable that any of our supporters — on both sides, because we both have this experience — say things that kind of veer off into the personal.”

Ferraro is a former New York congresswoman and was Walter Mondale’s running mate when he was the Democratic presidential nominee in 1984. She has endorsed Clinton and raised money for her campaign.

Obama senior adviser David Axelrod said Ferraro should be removed from her position with the Clinton campaign because of her comments.