I’m still hoping Obama surprises us all and picks someone other than Biden, Bayh or Kaine. I’m 99% sure it won’t be Kaine because Bill Kristol predicted it would be. Kristol is always wrong; therefore, it won’t be Kaine.

Bayh? Objectionable for all the reasons you mentioned. A DLC hack and an Iraq war cheerleader. Picking him or anyone else who supported the war would defang one of Obama’s most potent arguments: judgment. McCain could simply point out that Obama must respect the judgment of his own VP choice, you know?

I like Biden for the very reason most pundits think he would be a lousy choice—he’s kind of a loose cannon. You never know what he’ll say. But he also voted for the war, though not with the enthusiam Bayh did. I don’t think it’s an automatic disqualifier, but it matters to me.

I’d love it if Obama picked Napolitano or Sebelius. Clark too. I’d be happy with any of those three. The Hillary supporters who would view a female VP pick as a slap in the face aren’t going to vote for Obama anyway. And they deserve to be slapped too, hard and frequently. Preferably with a frozen fish.

RE: Sarah Palin—I agree 100%; that was the only name floated that worried me too. I read somewhere she may have been embroiled 2nd hand in a minor scandal. Something about using political connections to get an ex-brother-in-law or someone fired. I also read some stuff about her may come out during the Stevens scandal.

I hope McCain goes with Mittens, who won’t even carry Massachusetts and will set the fundies running for the hills by dint of his membership in the magic undies fertility cult (as Tbogg calls it). I hope he doesn’t pick Huckabee, who will bring the fundies firmly in the fold and set them a-praying for McCain to croak during his 1st term.

I now like Biden for the reason
I didn’t originally—the
excessive testosterone. But now that it
is clear Dems don’t defend their nomineee
the way Repubs do….well Obama needs
a junk yard dog as VP.

I hope he doesn’t pick Huckabee, who will bring the fundies firmly in the fold and set them a-praying for McCain to croak during his 1st term.

Huckabee doesn’t seem to be mentioned at all anymore.  Weird. How come he dropped off completely? Aside from Palin, he’s the only other one that worries me.

And thanks for the news about Palin.  Wasn’t aware of any of that.

I agree with you about Napolitano or Sebelius, but I think there would be a lot of manufactured PUMA outrage, amplified by the media post-convention, that would make them bad choices. We’d have weeks and weeks of stories about Hillary’s female supporters who were outraged that Obama picked Janet or Kathleen over Hillary.

I’ll admit it. Palin is cute as hell but she’s got enough baggage to fill up an entire set of American Tourister luggage.

I now like Biden for the reason I didn’t originally—the excessive testosterone.

I think Biden won a lot of us over with the “a noun, a verb and 9/11” line. That’s a loose cannon I can tolerate. Someone finally successfully stripped the Ghoul of his Cloak of Invincibilty. Biden’s the one guy I can see chip away at McCain’s POW forcefield and get away with it.

They aren’t even hiding it anymore. From the PUMApac blog

#5 ladyhawkke on 08.19.08 at 6:30 am
Good Morning, Pumas

NEWS CONFERENCE DETAILS:

WHO:

Committee of One Million Executive Director Andy Martin

WHAT:

public sidewalk in front of FDR Station

Too funny.  Is he going to crawl out of an old refrigerator box and walk up to a podium made out of soup cans?

That is one of the worst web addresses I’ve seen in ages.  Jeebus god!

Betty nailed the deal on Palin. Kos has kept a close eye on Alaska particularly in light of Stevens’ woes, and Palin in right in the middle of that as well as an ugly family dispute in which she tried to use her position to have her ex bro in law fired. The lid on alaskan politics has been pulled back a bit and what they’ve found inside is going to negate Palin, if, and that’s a giant, PUMA-like if, Dems can hammer her sneaky dealings.

Yeah, it’s gonna be Biden.

“Hagel is instantly disqualified because the fact that his name was being floated as a potential pick is one of the dumbest daydreams I’ve ever seen the media try to hoist on the public.”

Actually you only have to go back four years.  I recall much speculation on John Kerry crossing the aisle for a veep candidate.  Who was that, anyway?  McLain?  Migraine? McGreevey?  Something like that…..

I think it’s clearly Biden at this point, although Obama likes Kaine, which you have to factor in.  I’m also still not ruling out a massive head fake before slapping Hillary on the ticket.

My hunch regarding Hillary is that there have been negotiations behind closed doors to bump Reid and give her the Sen. leader slot.  Not sure how that would shake out (I’m too busy to research it), but it seems like the best possible fit for her.

I’m also still not ruling out a massive head fake before slapping Hillary on the ticket.

This might be worth it just to watch the PUMA heads explode, along with Zelda’s.

I’m also still not ruling out a massive head fake before slapping Hillary on the ticket.

I wouldn’t be completely shocked by that either.

Is there now one PUMA organization for every PUMA?  (Or is that actually an underestimate?)

I believe it is more like 5 organizations to every PUMA, and each PUMA has at least 200 websites.

As far as VP is concerned I would go with Biden out of the three favorites.  But I must say I am hoping for a surprise choice. Not a Hillary surprise but more like a Bloomberg or my man Daschle surprise.  Don’t think that will happen though. 

Like Betty,

I hope McCain goes with Mittens

as well.  It would be so awesome to see the two whitest guys in America running against Obama and co. (watch out Mittens someone “let the dogs out”)

You want a real surprise, what if Obama chose Anrew Bacevich, whose appearance on Moyers journal this past Friday was one the absolutely best pieces of political interviewing I have ever seen. It was brilliant TV, if ya aint seen it, go watch it, or at least read the transcripts.

Abrams just got a report via his earpiece that Obama—when asked to describe a good VP—used the word “he” four times .