Is the White House worth resigning from the Senate?

We have 3 Senators as the last major contenders for president of the United States. We have only had 2 Senators jump straight from the Senate to the White House.

But there is this call, this concern, this outcry for the candidates to make a significant move that would be risky, yet show they are serious about taking over the White House: resign their Senate seat.

So far, the speculation has gone only to John McCain. But since the two remaining Democratic candidates also work in the Senate, the question should also apply to them. If that person is the nominee, should they resign from the Senate?

We have two recent real-life applications to cite from: Bob Dole in 1996 and Joe Lieberman in 2000.

Dole was not only an U.S. Senator, but also the Senate Majority Leader. But on June 11, 1996, he resigned his Senate seat to focus on the campaign, saying he had "nowhere to go but the White House or home."

Of course, Dole lost that race. But Dole saw honor in his resignation to the Senate, the Senate Majority Leader position, and the race for the White House. If you are looking for a John McCain parallel, when Dole received the nomination, he became the oldest first-time presidential nominee at the age of 73 years, 1 month. McCain will have just turned 72 during the 2008 Republican National Convention. Also, McCain is the kind of person who might see the move as an honorable one, and not just because of age. Then again, McCain noted that he told Dole in 1996 that he shouldn't give up his seat.

Lieberman was an U.S. Senator when Al Gore selected him to run for vice president in 2000. But Lieberman was already in a race -- for his U.S. Senate race. But he had little to worry about from Waterbury mayor Philip Giordano, and if Lieberman had taken the oath to be vice president, then-Connecticut Governor John Rowland could have appointed a Republican to succeed him. If Lieberman had resigned his seat when Gore selected him, there was ample time to get a replacement that would have run in the 2000 Senate race.

Lieberman wasn't the only one in recent memory to stay on the ballot and run for VP. Lyndon B. Johnson (1960) and Lloyd Bentsen (1988) also ran for the vice presidency and the U.S. Senate simultaneously. Both were from Texas; Johnson had the laws changed so he could run for both offices. When Johnson ran and won, fellow Democrat William A. Blakley was appointed.

Bentsen took advantage of "Johnson's law" and defeated Beau Boulter 59%-40% in the 1988 election for Bentsen's Senate seat. If Bentsen had been elected VP, Texas Governor Bill Clements could have picked a Republican to succeed Bentsen.

If Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, or John McCain resign their seats, the seats will remain in the same party. Illinois and New York have Democratic governors, and while Arizona has a Democratic governor, state law requires a replacement from the same party.

Being that Obama and Clinton are younger than McCain, there may not be as much of a temptation to resign. And in a battle of two Senators, there may not be as much criticism about missed votes, though McCain has far more missed votes than either Obama or Clinton. But if McCain resigns, and the Democratic candidate stays, the issue might be a factor in the 2008 race.

So if a resignation improves their chances of getting into the White House, is it worth taking that significant step?

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