Clinton Maintains She Holds Popular Vote

CBS News’ Ryan Corsaro:

JUNCTION CITY, ORE. -- Hillary Clinton continues to say she is ahead of Barack Obama in the popular vote, despite questions over whether or not her campaign's numbers are misleading in making that claim. The Associated Press reported yesterday that the math used to arrive at that conclusion make the assertion "a stretch at best."

Undaunted, Clinton sat down at a kitchen table with families to talk about issues in relating the economy, blaming a large part of the effect Americans are feeling on high oil prices.

While Obama and John McCain have been taking swipes at one another, Clinton went after President Bush for meeting with Saudi Arabian leaders, saying his trip is to “basically have tea with them while people are suffering,” and claiming the Saudis could drop the price of oil with a “flick of the pen.” She said that the behavior of corporations like oil businesses become greedy because of human nature, saying “that’s just the way they are.”

She maintained it was the government’s job to leverage their power, and that it was the responsibility of Washington to build an alternative energy market that loosened the grip of oil companies and influence by foreign countries. “The government has to create the market and once they create the market, it's off to the races,” said Clinton.

At the end of the meeting, one of the women sitting with Clinton, Sandy Mehlbrech, turned to her, saying “Please stay in this race.”

Clinton appeared slightly uncomfortable by Melbrech’s sincerity and desperate tone, and explained she was ahead in the popular vote and would carry on campaigning, having "50,000 more votes, which very exciting, because that’s important.”

Question have risen as to the math which allows the Clinton campaign to say they have the popular vote, which disregards votes for Obama in some caucuses and counts votes by Michigan and Florida voters, whose primaries are not recognized by Democratic National Committee this year due to penalties from changing their primary dates.