Is this some sort of hilarious joke?

I wanted to ignore John McCain's nomination of Sarah Palin for Vice President out of reverence for last night's speech. But the move deserves at least 10 quick observations:

1. There are 3 types of vice president, and before Al Gore there was only 1. Gore was a trusted adviser, in the room when many key decisions were made. His opinion mattered. Dick Cheney ran the country. Before 1992, vice presidents had two functions: don't embarrass the administration and don't get in the way. Joe Biden is a pick in the Gore mold, Sarah Palin is a pick in the Charles Curtis mold.


2. For those of you familiar with sports and gambling: The over/ under on the number of words John McCain ever says to Sarah Palin in his entire life: 95


3. It was a political move, and that's OK, we understand that. But what is inexcusable, is that yesterday John McCain chose a woman whose experience outside of 2 years as governor was as mayor of an Alaskan village of 9,000. Yesterday also happened to be Sen. McCain's 72nd birthday.


4. Say what you will-- Sarah Palin is not a bad looking lady.


5. The idea that women will vote for John McCain because he put a woman on the ballot is deeply offensive.


6. The notion that Sarah Palin can be compared to Hillary Clinton is insulting.


7. I guarantee those glasses are fake.


8. The GOP wanted a woman, but they also wanted someone who would satisfy the right-wing (pro-life, "unsure" about global warming). So, it's no wonder they had to search so far, wide and weird to find someone to fit the bill.


9. Barack Obama has shown faith in Americans' ability to see beyond ploys, and willingness to choose optimism in the face of doubt. Meanwhile, John McCain has made the exact opposite wager.


10. The number one criterion in choosing a VP, by definition, is whether or not the individual can be an effective president if necessary. Barack Obama's case for superior judgment was made a whole lot easier yesterday.

Who is Joe Biden?

Quote of the Day 8/22

"I'd love to go one on one with Lieberman in the Octagon."

- Doug Flynn, who hopes that McCain chooses Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) as his running mate.

Obama/ Biden (?)

Word on the street is Barack Obama will announce his VP pick in the next day or so (don't worry, I'm one of the millions who signed up to have the selection immediately texted to their phones). The most recent buzz favors Delaware Senator Joe Biden, whom SAM endorsed for the spot back in February.

Although I remained confident in SAM's prediction of VA Gov. Tim Kaine, I'd personally prefer Biden, and it appears giving Senate candidate Mark Warner the DNC keynote address will be Obama's nod to Virginia.

I gave my thoughts on Biden in a profile all the way back in October, not much has changed, except that his Iraq plan fell out of favor, and the Russia/ Georgia conflict put foreign affairs (Biden's forte) back on the front page.

If you don't want to sift through my write up (which includes an intellectually stimulating comparison of Biden and West Wing president Jed Bartlet), you can always check out this more recent and (some might even say) better profile in the New York Times.

In the end, it's probably still more likely we'll see a Secretary of State Biden than a VP Biden, but nothing's official yet, so keep checking your cell phone's in-box.

"McSame" Cringe Moment

If, as he steadfastly claims, South Carolina governor Mark Sanford doesn't want to be McCain's VP nominee, he did a lot to help his cause in this exchange with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

Dogged by the accusation that he's running for Bush's third term, McCain has tried to distance himself in any way possible-- he even evoked Theodore Roosevelt this weekend.

But when Sanford was asked to point out differences between McCain and Bush he, well... struggled.

VP Sweepstakes

Although Hillary Clinton made a recent push for Vice President, it seems doubtful that she'll get the nod. Obama's "Change" message would ring hollow with a Clinton on the ticket. Her upside is that she would bring along her supporters, specifically the white working class.

Obama did poorly with that group, the traditional Democratic base, instead building a coalition of blacks, cultural liberals and the young. Meanwhile, blue collar whites flocked to Hillary Clinton, long a symbol of liberal elitism. So, in theory a Clinton on the ticket would guarantee a Democratic win.

But if working class whites are so turned off by Obama, I doubt that the Hillary- voters will vote for him over McCain anyway, even with her on the ticket. There are better options to appeal to that group, including some that have a real following in important states.

Ted Strickland- the governor of Ohio. He's former Clinton supporter, very popular in the large swing state that decided the 2004 election. Obama's ahead in polls there now, and if he wins Ohio, he should be fine.

Tim Kaine- governor of Virginia. The devout Catholic is pro-life, but he's proven able to win in a red state. With Virginia's shifting demographics, the state is in play for the first time in a generation. After Mark Warner's win in November the 3 state wide offices will be in the hands of Democrats-- that is if Tim Kaine isn't moving into Dick Cheney's old office.


There's also Jim Webb, Virginia's first term Senator. He's a war veteran, with a son serving in Iraq, and the author of the new Bill. But he's been in the Senate even less time than Obama has, and Obama should probably go with a governor-- someone with executive credentials.