Obama's VP pick - Tom Daschle?

[JSojourner]

Joe Biden.  Needs somebody strong on foreign policy on his team

Biden is the best possible pick for Obama.  If Chris Dodd were from somewhere other than New England, he might be a good pick but forget him. 

Obama could pick someone who endorsed Hillary as a conciliatory gesture -- like Ted Strickland or Wes Clark.  Congressman Bob Wexler is someone he might look at, too, though I am not sure how old he is.

[JSojourner]

Daschle would be a terrible choice.  He brings absolutely NOTHING.  Bill Richardson wouldn't be bad.  He has a great resume, doesn't steal the spotlight, helps in the Southwest (McCain territory), and helps with Hispanic voters (an area where Obama has been slow to gain ground).

Richardson is smart and capable, as he has proven on the job.  However, on the stump, he is -- generously speaking -- a mental midget.  He ran the worst Democratic primary campaign in recent history, and had some of the most embarassing debate performances too.  How Richardson ever got elected is beyond me.  That said, he sure seems to get the job done in whatever office he occupies.  Perhaps we need more lousy campaigners actually running things.

[JSojourner]

Joe Biden.  Needs somebody strong on foreign policy on his team

Biden is the best possible pick for Obama.  If Chris Dodd were from somewhere other than New England, he might be a good pick but forget him. 

Obama could pick someone who endorsed Hillary as a conciliatory gesture -- like Ted Strickland or Wes Clark.  Congressman Bob Wexler is someone he might look at, too, though I am not sure how old he is.

Wexler is 47. He might make an interesting choice. I don't see Strickland or Clark adding much to the ticket, and I suspect that Strickland is thinking about 2012 if the Dems lose in '08.

Hey, how about Joe Manchin for VP?

Though I personally dislike Manchin's stance in support of the coal industry, I can hardly blame him.  West Virginia is West Virginia, after all.  You can't be anti-ethanol in Indiana, either.  LOL

What I like about Manchin is his appeal to liberals on issues like poverty, education and health care and his ability to work with conservatives on issues like reproductive choice. Obama knows we need to have a national conversation about abortion that moves beyond the tired old paradigms of left and right.  Manchin may just be the guy to lead that conversation.  Possibly as VP.  I think he would probably be a good choice.

My biggest concern is that Obama will be vulnerable on foreign policy and military matters.  So he will need a running mate who has those chops.  Biden is a no-brainer.  Wexler is on the right committees.  Clark is obvious, despite his support of Hillary.  Strickland had some foreign policy experience as a Congressman, but nothing that would measure up to a McCain-Ridge ticket.  Richardson has the right resume, but as I have pointed out in earlier posts -- he can't campaign worth a damn.

Webb is intriguing.  All the right experience and bipartisan appeal.  But we are gaining such strength as a party in Virginia, I would hate for us to weaken there.  Even if Tim Kaine named a good Democrat to take Webb's place, he or she would lack the popular appeal Webb enjoyed and the seat could easily be lost.

So that would be Manchin's biggest failing, in all likelihood. No foreign policy or military experience.  Still, I like it.  If we're gonna talk about Sebelius, Easely and Bredesen -- Manchin belongs in the mix too.

The thing about Obama is that he tends to think and act outside the box -- so it could be almost anyone.  The pundits are having a ball.  I have heard them suggest everyone from Richard Lugar (Yeah, he's a Republican) to Ted Kennedy to Al Gore.  (I still don't see how Gore could be on the ticket.)