Who will it be?
Speculation has already begun in earnest, and while I don’t proclaim to be an expert on the inner workings of Obama’s VP search, here’s my thoughts on some possibilities.
General Wesley Clark – Maybe I’m crazy, but I see Wesley Clark as more of a Secretary of Defense in an Obama administration than as the Vice President. Clark has a lot of great military/defense experience, but I don’t see him bringing much to the table as a campaigner.
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson – Let me preface this by saying Bill Richardson was my initial pick out of the entire Democratic field. However, as much as I love Bill Richardson as the Vice President on Barack Obama’s ticket, he did make some pretty critical mistakes on the campaign trail, and he never really came across as being as funny and charismatic as I’ve heard he can be. I think Richardson would be an interesting choice for Secretary of State.
Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer – Brian Schweitzer’s star is on the rise. He’s a hugely popular Democratic governor of a red state, he speaks fluent Arabic, and he has some expertise when it comes to energy issues. I think he’s a dark horse, but he’s someone who bears serious consideration.
Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius – Sebelius has a good record of bipartisanship in Kansas, and her presence on Obama’s ticket might help Obama shore up his numbers with women.
Virginia Senator Jim Webb – Senator Webb would bring some defense credentials to the table and could possibly help swing Virginia, which is already trending blue, into the Democratic column in November. Webb’s main drawback is his propensity for saying what’s on his mind without first thinking about what he’s saying. He’d be a good “attack dog,” but at the same time, you don’t want your campaign’s attack dog going off the reservation.
New York Senator Hillary Clinton – Yeah, I went there. Now I’ve not been a fan of the kind of campaign Clinton has run during the primaries, but I still can’t deny the tenacity and proven skills as a campaigner and fundraiser that she’d bring to the table as Obama’s Vice President. Obviously there’s a lot of baggage that would need to be sorted out, namely Bill Clinton’s role if Hillary were offered the VP spot, but she certainly wouldn’t be the worst choice in the world.
At this point it’s not going to be Hillary. She has taken herself out of the running by her attempts to offer herself for the position and back Obama into a corner to choose her. With that in mind, here’s my top 5:
1) Jim Webb
2) Mark Warner (probably won’t happen, but I love Warner)
3) Kathleen Sebelius
4) Bill Richardson
5) Tim Kaine?
Practically, I think it will come down to Webb and Sebelius.
Kathleen Sebelius would be a huge slap in the face of the Hillary supporters–take my word on this one.
I also take exception to the remark that Hillary backed Obama into a corner by offering to take the spot–what she said was something more along the lines of she would consider it. What was she supposed to say when asked? Think about it– what would have been a better answer that wouldn’t have made it seem like sour grapes.
I think it should be Feingold. As long as we are going with the first man of color we might as well push it all the way with choosing people not based on where they live. So what if WI and ILL are neighboring states? It’s not like the midwest is seen as radical central– that would be CA.
It would also scrap a whole lot of that Muslim crap that’s still flying around the mass e-mail circuit. Besides, Feingold balances nicely with Obama. Obama is more flamboyant and Feingold is the studious guy. One is seen as being a great speaker and the other as a great thinker.
my 2 ¢
Kay, I agree that Feingold would be an excellent choice. I’ve always thought he’d make a great vice president, but I can also see him being called to serve as either Attorney General or a Supreme Court Justice.