BY MICHAEL McAULIFF DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAUThursday, March 27th 2008, 4:00 AM
WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton's megabucks donors picked a fight with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Wednesday, pitting the most famous woman in politics against the most powerful.
Angered that Pelosi wants Democratic insiders to follow the will of voters when they cast their own "superdelegate" votes in the nomination race, 20 of Clinton's top fund-raisers issued a veiled threat to Pelosi and warned her to change her tune.
"We have been strong supporters of the [Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee]," they wrote, referring to the House fund-raising arm overseen by Pelosi. "We therefore urge you to clarify your position on superdelegates and reflect in your comments a more open view."
Sources said Pelosi was infuriated by the implied threat the donors would quit giving cash to the committee.
Clinton's supporters pounced on Pelosi for telling ABC this month that the party would be damaged if "superdelegates overturn what happened in the elections."
Clinton trails Barack Obama in the "pledged" delegates that have been selected by voters - and almost certainly cannot catch up. But she hopes superdelegates catapult her ahead of Obama.
The House speaker was not backing down, however, and is still insisting that superdelegates respect "the decisions of millions of Americans who have voted," her aide Brendan Daly said.
The brazen move by Camp Clinton stunned veteran Democrats, particularly because at least eight of the letter's authors have not donated to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee since Pelosi became speaker.
"[Clinton] looks desperate," said one. "There is no way they should have threatened to do this. It is terrible. ... I am sure Obama is raising money off of it already."
Obama's campaign said the letter was inappropriate.
"We hope the Clinton campaign will reject the insinuation contained in it," said Obama's spokesman Bill Burton.
But the Clinton team stood by its moneymen.
"Sen. Clinton has been vocal in stating that superdelegates should exercise independent judgment about who'd be the best for the party and the country," said spokesman Phil Singer.
"Few have done more to build the Democratic Party than Bill and Hillary Clinton," Singer added. "The last thing they need is a lecture from the Obama campaign."
Clinton's team had hoped uncommitted superdelegates would stay that way through the April22 Pennsylvania primary, in which the New York senator is expected to do well.
But one senior Democratic operative said, "If they were hoping to put a freeze on the superdelegates, they just blew the cork."
mmcauliff@nydailynews.com | with Kenneth R. Bazinet
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