America's hottest new game is who Barack Obama should pick to be his running mate in November. With apologies to Hillary Clinton (who likely isn't going to get the nomination) and John McCain (picks likely to be boring, almost Dan Quayle like), the focus is on Obama.

And there are many places to turn to speculate [1] on who Obama will choose. Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Bill Richardson, Joe Biden, and Kathleen Sebelius are among many good quality candidates.

But this is the Democratic Party, where good choices don't often get made. So Sen. Obama, while many people are giving you good advice on who to pick, I will give you advice on who not to pick. (These are my personal thoughts as a BuzzFlash staff member, but do not necessarily reflect the editorial opinion of BuzzFlash.)

-- Joe Lieberman. The temptation that Al Gore faced in 2000 led to Lieberman. At the time, I thought it was the worst pick of any VP candidate in the modern era. And this is back when Democrats still liked Lieberman. But Lieberman represents a defensive position. Do not pick a VP candidate because of a negative.

-- Sam Nunn. Nunn is respected on many levels, and his experience is tempting to have on the ticket. But Nunn is a bad choice simply because he is conservative, one of Lieberman's pitfalls. A conservative choice for VP is bad for several reasons: it doesn't energize the base, and if something happens to you, that person becomes president.

-- Chuck Hagel. Hagel or Ron Paul would be tempting on many levels, and in a different society, an odd choice could work. But they are still Republicans. If you want to incorporate Hagel into your administration, take that shot. But not as VP.

-- Jim Webb. In many circles, Webb is a popular choice to be on the list of those to pick. But he's too conservative, too off-the-cuff, and has been in the Senate even less than Obama. Democrats love the idea of picking off people just as they finally get to the big-time. It's like picking fruit before it reaches its true ripeness. We don't need green bananas for vice president.

-- Michael Bloomberg. Tempting choice, well respected, and gives an independent vibe. True Bloomberg was a Democrat until 2001 when he ran as a Republican, and he is now an Independent. But there is so much that we don't know about Bloomberg's politics. Would be good to draw independents, but doesn't energize the base, and it's difficult to pick someone who John McCain could also pick.

-- Geographic balance. The tradition of picking someone for geographic balance has almost become passe. Dick Cheney, John Edwards, Joe Lieberman, Jack Kemp, and Al Gore weren't picked for geographic balance. And you shouldn't go that route either. You end up with odd matchups such as JFK/LBJ and Michael Dukakis/Lloyd Bentsen.

-- Political expedience. Names such as Ted Strickland (Governor -- Ohio) and Tim Kaine (Governor -- Virginia) have been bandied about as possible candidates. No offense to either of them, but pick a VP based on who they are, not what short-term experience can be provided. If they fit other criteria, then they do offer an advantage. But don't pick them for that reason.

-- Someone who is uninspiring. Your VP pick should be a proven leader, ready to lead at a moment's notice. But it should also be someone with upbeat charisma, obviously not as much as you, but still someone who can be considered a leader. Tom Daschle and Richard Gephardt would, on many levels, fit your criteria. But they aren't inspiring. Daschle and Gephardt were at the top of the Senate and House, respectively, yet they are reminders that their leadership was ineffective. For all the criticism of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, they got a lot of things done to get the House and Senate back for the Democrats. And it's sad since Daschle and Gephardt would do an excellent job. It hurts to put Gephardt on this list. I like Gephardt, and thought he would have made a great president. William Kristol brought up his name on FOX on Sunday, but that isn't the reason. And it's not because Rupert Murdoch's New York Post told us Kerry would pick Gephardt in 2004. Gephardt should be a part of your administration, officially or unofficially, but not as vice president.

So who would you put on this list? Who shouldn't be the VP pick for Obama? Technorati Tags: Be-Elected [7] 2008 race [8] Barack Obama [9] vice president [10] not to pick [11]