White House denies Obama-Clinton ticket in the works

The White House sought to quickly tamp down speculation Wednesday morning about a Barack Obama-Hillary Clinton ticket for 2012.

"No one in the White House is discussing this as a possibility," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told CNN.

"There's absolutely nothing to it," senior adviser David Axelrod told the Washington Post.

The denials follow comments made by journalist Bob Woodward during a CNN interview Tuesday night in which Woodward suggested that the White House is seriously discussing dumping Vice President Joe Biden in favor of the secretary of state.

"It's on the table," Woodward said on "John King USA." "Some of Hillary Clinton's advisers see it as a real possibility in 2012." (SEE UPDATE BELOW)

Watch the full video of Woodward's interview:

Even though an Obama-Clinton ticket has been rumored in the past, Woodward's comment is one of the first to suggest the White House itself is discussing the issue. The possibility of the two Democratic superstars serving together has already fueled breathless cable news and blog speculation.

Rumors were rampant during the 2008 Democratic primary that Obama would choose Clinton as his running mate to create a Democratic "dream team" to unite Clinton and Obama supporters.

UPDATE 1:30pm EST: Time's Ann Moore asked Clinton about the 2012 rumor during Fortune Magazine's "Most Powerful Women" summit in D.C. Clinton responded: "I have absolutely no interest and no reason for doing anything other than dismissing these stories and moving on because we have no time. There is so much to do. I think both of us are very happy doing what we are doing."

(Photo: AP/J. David Ake)