Barack Obama, wrapping up a news conference while campaigning in Bend, Ore., had a terse reply when asked about a terse report by columnist Robert Novak on the prospects of an Obama-Hillary Clinton ticket.

"Close-in supporters" of Obama's presidential campaign, Novak wrote, "are convinced he never will offer the vice presidential nomination" to Clinton because of antipathy toward her by the frontrunner's wife, Michelle Obama.

"My wife does not talk to Bob Novak on a regular basis," Obama told the reporters gathered around him, who included The Times' Robin Abcarian.

Somehow, we don't imagine the candidate does, either.

We also don't know if Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts was one of Novak's "close-in" sources, but he had gone on the record about an Obama-Clinton ticket, telling Al Hunt of Bloomberg News that, "I don't think it's possible.''

Michelle Obama was not cited by Kennedy as the reason for his comment; instead, a spokesman for him later said his prediction was based on the "tenor of the campaign'' of late.

-- Don Frederick