Now that the primary is over, who should Barack Obama pick as VP?

http://www.dannydries.com/WebLog.html Don't pick a sitting Senator for Veep. You need as many secure seats as you can so you can dump Lieberman hard and often. Look to early retired Dems like Daschle, Bradley and Edwards to fill out your cabinet. Even Hagle would be better. Richardson would be good except he has Clinton-like issues with women. And don't pick those nobody Hillary supporters like Bayh or Rendell who have been running against you all these months. Sam Nunn is dead isn't he? Hope so. Can't understand why Carter would even mention the guy. Anyhow, that's a start. Save the Senate and build on that. No to Hillary. No to Sibelius because it would piss off all those Hillary supporters. How about Michelle? Obama/Obama?

Many good suggestions on this board, with the possible exception of Caroline Kennedy. Sure, everyone loves her, because no one knows anything about her but her last name, and the images they have of her at her Dad's funeral. Do you REALLY want someone one heartbeat from the Presidency with virtually NO experience? It's a nice emotional pick, but not particularly politically astute. The most compelling unity ticket remains Obama/Clinton. Kennedy and LBJ DESPISED each other, but recognized the political reality that together they were a stronger force than apart. It's a BIG test for Obama. Everyone will be grading him on this one. And if he does NOT pick Hillary, he at least ought to put her on the Supreme Court at the first opportunity. HRC could do more good there than by having TWO presidential terms, by counterbalancing the Republican thugs placed there by Bush. A lifetime appointment! Just imagine the howls of protest as a Democratic majority Senate rams an HRC appointment down their throats! One thing is certain...it WILL be interesting to see how it all plays out. ------duckfubya: Lost in the Pines of Nacogdoches, TX

Even though before he dropped out I was for Edwards; he has declared he does not want V.P. Richardson is perfect. The Latino and Black communities can both be proud of these two accomplished people. And maybe it will heal the rift between the two groups. I don't know WHAT could heal the rift between Liberals and Krackers though? Do you?

But Jim Webb would be about perfect. Every compost heap needs a few flowers. When this began, I knew nothing about Obama, and I still don't. All I know is that the soul of McCain was sold on eBay long ago for some undisclosed sum.

Where one likes Hillary Clinton or not ,if she is not picked to be VP we will have another Republican in the white House .The party is too split for one to win without the other ,and Bloggers have already started their web sites to get people to "VOTE "McCain ,and this is exactly what will happen.

I am surprised there are no Bill Richardson fans. He is a very capable, low-key politician with great credentials. He is Governor of New Mexico and a former presidential candidate. He could handle the hispanic voter problem and he has little, to my knowledge, in his background that would be an attack point for conservatives. When the bubble-boy lost his spy plane in China in 2001 it was Richardson that went and got it back for him. All in all a very capable and likeable man. or.... Anybody but Hillary! demo guy

Sooooo many people I couldn't recommend for one reason or another. Would have gone with Edwards. Caroline Kennedy doesn't feel right -- she's American "royalty" and I thought the whole point was "change," right? Frankly, it sort of smells. We can't go with the upstart, new-money female from Arkansas but the "old money" Kennedy dynasty female from Martha's Vineyard has the right stuff? Clark would assure the people who hate Democrats because "they're weak on defense" that there will be a career military person in the White House. That symbolic election value would be central but Clark is a sharp person and we'll genuinely need a sharp and experienced person to repair the military after the damage done by eight years of Bush. There is every indication he is a moderate and team player who shouldn't embarrass the administration's foreign policy as we diplomatically mend fences. Really, he offers more than any senator I can think of.

1st Caroline Kennedy: Seems like she is on his short list since she is part of his V.P. selection committee. 2nd: Govenor Janet Napolitano of Arizona. She's popular and would challenge McCain in the southwest. Selecting either Caroline Kennedy or Janet Napolitano would acknowledge Hilton Clinton's strong run. Caroline Kennedy seems the better choice and infact would be a stunning one.

My dream but only a dream would be Dennis Kucinich. My nightmare would be Hillary because she couldn't lock Bill's mouth & libido in a dungeon for 4 to 8 years.

Dennis Kucinich is intelligent, honest, truthful, hard working, and had by far the best ideas in the Democratic primary. If he were chosen as VP, I would vote for Obama; otherwise I will either vote Independent or Green.

For biography review of Gov. Sebelius: http://www.governor.ks.gov/about/bio.htm at the heart of Governor Sebelius’ administration is a commitment to growing the Kansas economy and creating jobs; ensuring every Kansas child receives a quality education; protecting Kansas families and communities; improving access to quality, affordable health care; and taking advantage of the state’s renewable energy assets. Through a commitment to making the state’s business climate more attractive – and by balancing the state budget without raising taxes – the Kansas economy has rebounded resulting in low unemployment and the creation of thousands of new jobs. Gov. Sebelius INCREASED ACCESS to HEALTHCARE for SENIORS ... Make this a plank, and Obama would be making a huge draw as (we) seniors are seeing our healthcare evaporate! (We were a target in the most recent Bush budget fiasco.) Gephardt's support of the Iraq War resolution hurt him. Daily Kos: Obama will pick Gov. SEBELIUS as VP He says he doesn't need/want someone to reinforce him on the CiC front http://www.huffingtonpost.com/... Another area--and this one is policy--in which Obama is not an expert is energy. Gov. Sebelius has an outstanding energy record. Additional review: "What's Right With Kansas" The New York Times editorializes about the state of Kansas and the new direction that the voters of Kansas have taken, rejecting extreme conservatives from state and local offices and instead, choosing moderate, common sense leaders, like Democratic Governor Sebelius. Accomplishments are in her genes. This is the best news I`ve heard in months.Governor Sebelius is a great person who comes from a long line of very talented and honorable political people(John Gilligan,former Governor of Ohio is her father). We need more like her to recover from the Criminal Bush machine. No more tired, re-runs (as much as they may have contributed in another era)... CHANGE NOT FOR THE SAKE OF CHANGE, BUT CHANGE UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF PRESIDENT OBAMA FOR THE RENEWAL OF THE U.S.! Kansas won't want to give her up, she is so well admired! It will be in the best interest of all of the states for them to share her compatibility with the Senator/future President Obama, as well as strengthen his assets. Kansas Governor Sebelius, it is! Yes, she can - provide the vice presidential know how that will complete the Obama ticket! BARACK & SEBELIUS TO THE FUTURE!

DENNIS IS THE MAN. He speaks for the people and The Constitution. That takes courage in this day. Look at his voting record in Congress. Dennis is clearly the best choice.

I think the best fit would be either Governor Strickland or Senator Sherrod Brown. Either of them can lock Ohio in for Obama!

Sen Jim Webb He's perfect!

Nonsense. Hillary's criticisms may have hurt your feelings, but they barely dented the campaign. And politicians who don't have hides of leather don't last beyond the county dogcatcher phase. Hillary said a number of things that implied that she was the more experienced, etc. So? He won. Kennedy nominated LBJ, and promptly forgot about him, but ol' Lyndon helped him like crazy, getting things through the Senate. Oh, and getting elected in the first place. The veep choice is not always for a friend, but someone who fills in weaknesses of some kind. In this case, there's an argument to be made that it would solidify the party. It's up to the two of them to decide what to do. I'm assuming that Obama and Hillary will do the right thing, for them and for the party. I know it because BOTH of them are decent, gifted people.

55% of Dems want HRC as VP. As a county chair for the Dem party here in Iowa, I have a pretty good sense of what folks are thinking. It was evident that BHO would win the caucus. It is just as evident what those marginalized Hillary supporters feel about the general election. If they continue to be disrespected as many of the folks on this series of posts seem to do, and do not get a meaningful role for HRC... they will either bolt or sit this one out. Regardless of all the logic you may employ, that is the way they feel and that is the way it is. The bottom line is that you will not win without them.

none

Just as a thought experiment, suppose that Barak Obama, with the blessing of a recomposed DNC, picked the real Republican maverick, Chuck Hagel, to run with him on a 'national unity' ticket. Hagel would be McCain's worst nightmare come true.

This high risk decision would require candid explanations, but why not? Together, Obama and Hagel would sweep the Independent vote while most Democrats would remain in the fold and a flood of Republicans would abandon their Bushed-up party -- the new generation of crossover voters, after the infamous Reagan Democrats of the 1980s.

After the election, Chuck Hagel, a veteran and early Iraq War critic, would be given the highly visible -- and politically risky -- mission of working to fix the disasters in Afghanistan and Iraq. He would draw much of the partisan fire, allowing Obama to focus on building a power base, working out bipartisan policies with Congress, and beginning the task of redressing the balance in the Supreme Court.

But the greatest potential of this uncommon alliance is that within the context of a bipartisan, but mostly centrist cabinet, Obama and Hagel together could redraw the political map of the US and reshape US politics for generations -- starting with four consecutive presidential terms between the two of them. That would give them such a strong base that they could attempt the creation of the first major third party since the emergence of the Republican Party.

The potential for deep political recomposition is now so high that they could succeed in birthing a new, centrist party, which would incorporate its own liberal and conservative wings. Let's call it the American Party. Its left and right wings would generally work out policy compromises internally or within the context of primaries, eliminating the main sources of gridlock among Democrats and Republicans: the undue influence of their militant bases, and the corruption of elected official by means of political contributions by vested interests.

Lobbyists could no longer play one side against the other as they do now. They would find themselves in the unenviable position of having to support non-centrist parties (what is left of the Democratic and Republican parties) and their ideological candidates. For corporations, that would not wash too well with the majority of their shareholders, who would be more likely than most to join the American Party.

With its founders alternating in the Oval Office, the American Party would absorb most of the moderates from the Democratic and Republican parties, as well as a majority of current Independents. Independents would cease to form a swing vote since the American Party would occupy the center of the political spectrum and reflect their normal range of sensitivities. Instead, the Democratic and Republican parties, reduced to their core ideological bases, would serve as watchdogs and permanently threaten three-party races if the American Party loses its appeal from the center. But only if it does.

Meanwhile, the American Party would be able to field candidates with lower levels of political financing than those prevailing today, since the challenge would have to come from marginalized parties with limited financial clout. As a result, well-publicized internal debate would tend to substitute for partisan mud-slinging and media ad buys, and its primaries would thus become the main arena for competition between candidates for office. This makes it essential that the American Party adopt highly transparent and uniform procedures for its primaries, as they would carry enormous weight. One of the objectives of this shift would be the rise of the Wonk, displacing the army of overpaid and divisive political consultants. Another would be fully informed debate among primary voters. In this country, that would be tantamount to a revolution.

An official agreement between Obama, Hagel, and the Democrats and Republicans crossing over to the American Party would guarantee that they would alternate on successive presidential tickets. Thus the 2012 ticket would be an American Party Hagel-Obama ticket, followed by Obama-Hagel in 2016 and again Hagel-Obama in 2020. This arrangement could keep an Obama-Hagel duo in power for 16 years, until 2024, and reshape the Congress.

Another benefit of that extraordinary rearrangement would be institutional stability and continuity of policy directions. Foreign relations would finally cease to reflect extreme, benighted domestic agendas. The impact worldwide would be significant, with a very clear perception of unambiguous American national interest, and the end of irrational policy swings. Nothing could accomplish more to dispel the perception of America as a latter-day Brutish Empire. Repairing the ravages of the Bush years might even take less time than generally believed -- especially if the mitigation of global warming becomes the centerpiece of American policy, both domestic and foreign, and this country resumes a true world leadership role.

Would the historic alliance and its dominant party last? Not much longer, I suppose, than its founders' successive terms in office. The American Party should eventually split into two moderate parties, one center-left and the other center-right, which would agree on all the fundamentals and be fully equipped to cooperate with their counterpart across the aisle. Naturally, all the rules that have cemented the old, illegitimate, Democratic-Republican duopoly would have been rewritten to open the door wide to independent candidates and new parties. As to the increasingly dangerous, politicized, and deeply corrupt 'spoils system,' it would have been eliminated with a reform of the federal government. Finally, American democracy could mature into something citizens of rich countries have enjoyed everywhere else for generations -- with obvious benefits that can no longer be hidden from the citizens of this country.

Obama should select Howard Dean. For being right about the war; for developing the 50 state strategy that links so well with Obama's style of political organization. mort

Wesley Clark would be perfect were it not for his longstanding friendship with Hillary. John Edwards has a dark scandal waiting in the wings; he reportedly had a child with a media gal he hired -- this is old news but he would be raked over the coals were he to emerge as the VP selection. Caroline Kennedy is wonderful, but the VP has to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency and I don't think she's qualified due to her lack of government experience. Plus I don't think she'd take it if offered. Jim Web, assuming he doesn't have any skeletons in his closet, would e perfect. I think he's a team player, wouldn't try to outshine anybody, and has military experience.

inditer Hillary Clinton's vainglorious, vitriolic and race-baiting campaign has made the road ahead much tougher for Barack Obama than it needed to be. Now, the VP selection is quite meaningful, thanks to her single-handedly destroying the white male vote for Obama. A vote he must now win back after white males were not a factor in the early races - only when she decided to play the race card from Ohio on. Clearly, she has no place on the ticket. The Clinton's have more baggage than the United claim at O'Hare. If Hillary were on the ticket, the media would obsess on both Hill and Bill and Obama would be an afterthought. Mark Warner would probably be the best choice for running mate. Harvard law, telegenic, eight years Barack's senior and a former governor from Virginia with some good business connections. The question is, does Warner prefer the Senate? Other top tier possibilities - Kathleen Sebelius, Bill Richardson, old pros Dodd and Biden, a military guy or somebody out of the blue. It's a very tough call.

Ron Paul

Sunshine11 As much as I would like to see him pick John Edwards or Janet Napolitano as his VP, to unify the party and win over McCain, I think he is going to have to choose Hillary. If they (Barack and Hillary) could learn to work together, they would not only make history, they would be one super strong team.

Jim Webb is the perfect choice for Senator Obama and would help him with Pennslyvania, Ohio and certain Southern states.

We do have a lot of rising stars available. Jim Webb is an awesome politician with a compelling story, but he's a freshman too. Joe Biden would bring experience and an admirable tenure, but he's well-noted for Quayle-esque boners for sound bites. I don't agree with the idea of picking a running-mate on the basis of their demographic draw. I can't come up with the reference right now, but I recently read on a progressive blog an intelligent analysis that disproves that approach. (dang - I should bookmark these things). My own prediction is that Barack will pick someone solely on credentials, someone he's comfortable working with, and provides some expertise he feels he lacks. He won't pick an attack dog, or someone with an obvious demographic draw. As I'm from Minnesota, I'd like him to consider Amy Klobuchar. She's also a freshman, and a bit too moderate for my own politics; but she's a good speaker, a smart politician, and a very hard worker. Also my own congressional representative, Betty McCollum, would be worth a look. She's quite progressive, and maintains a very close relationship with her constituents. She would match his grass-roots and "out of the DC circuit" strengths, though I would miss her leaving the house. As much fun as these speculative exercises are, one thing I expect is that he'll surprise us with his ultimate choice.

Takes away ALL of McLame's military bragging rights. A well-respected competent General who will deliver military votes to Obama and take them away from the repubs. Plus, he's from Arkansas and can neutralize Hucksterbee whether he's McLame's VP or just campaigns for him, as well as help with the rest of the south. On national security, let's see them try to peg Clark as unpatriotic of backed by terrorists! Clark is the logical choice.

To nab as many southern votes as possible, I'd go with Jim Webb of Virginia. I think that he'd turn the tide in quite a number of formerly Republican states. Of course with the horrid mess the Republicans have made of this nation in the past eight years, I think he could win with just about anyone as a running mate.

A REAL change! Something different. No more career pols. John Edwards as Attorney General! A refreshing change from McBush's possible third term.

Wexler would help in the swing state Florida as well as with Jewish voters, whom many feel are on the fence. He gave a great argument for the delegate count in Florida on behalf of Obama and has been the Florida campaign co-chairman. He also is a true progressive voice, the anti-Cheney, if you will, hehe.

Barack should make his own decision. However, I don't think he should even consider Hillary.I think Caroline Kennedy would be a good choice. Also, be certain to include John Edwards and Al Gore in cabinet positions. Hillary would make a great Supreme Court justice.

So far none of the proposals for VPs are suitable! The only suitable person for VEEP (also for POTUS, for that matter) is one who believes that the only way that CHANGE is possible is after George Bush and his administration is held accountable for all of their misdeeds. Dennis Kucinich is the only one who is willing to stick his neck out to do what is right. Even Obama wants to 'stay the course' that Pelosi commanded. We need Dennis Kucinich to help convince O.B. to do the right thing. Read Vincent Bugliosi's new book, The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder and learn why.

Bill Richardson

A choice of real consideration could be John Kerry. A four year term for Mr. Kerry and following the first term I could see Hillary Clinton moving in for the second term. This would/could give her an automatic in for the following election. IMO!!!

Wesley Clark would be an excellent choice as Obama's VP. Not only would he kick John McCain's arse when it comes to military know-how, but he's intelligent, speaks well, and is clued-up and concerned about global warming. Besides, I've met him, shaken his hand, looked him in the eye, and damn, he's cute!

I doubt Obama needs our advice. If he can be president he can make a decision himself.

Colleen Clark
Cambridge, MA