I'd like to hear people's picks on the vice-presidency, both Republican and Republican Lite... oops, uh, Democrat. These picks are barring any insider negotiations no one can know about, e.g. Clinton forcing Obama to pick Geraldine Ferraro or she'll leak the third priest to the press.

Republicans: I think its John Thune hands down. Thune reassures voters that if McCain starts going to Bingo Thursday nights in 2010, there's a young guy with his memory intact to keep things together. A charming conservative is a rare thing to come across and might help nationally.

No one even remotely connected to the Bush admin will be on the ticket with McCain, if he has any brains - so that cancels out even otherwise solid picks like Powell or Jeb Bush.

I think Romney and Hayley Barbour are dark horse contenders. McCain's got problems on two-fronts, centrists unsure about Bush's "third term" and McCain's got problems with the base. When daft partisans like Ingraham and Limbaugh are undercutting you, you've got a big problem. Both might narrow the divide with the base.

Democrats: Christ the list is long. Wesley Clark, Anthony Zinni, Jack Reed and Jim Webb have all got strong military backgrounds, and above all other considerations of swing states and clinton voters that's what Obama absolutely needs. Lee Hamilton is a fifth consideration, with the ISG and the 9/11 Commission under his belt, he's got hefty credentials. Clark draws Clinton supporters, Reed and Zinni saw combat, as did Webb, but Webb's got the blue-collar cred.

Clark's problem is he doesn't draw votes and can't prove that that has changed, he also smacks of liberal eliteness. Neither Reed nor Zinni have national profiles, so their impact would be confined to cancelling out McCain's military service.

I think if Webb can provide guarantees on his temper and loyalty, its him. The whole thing about him only winning in his state because of the "macaca" thing is overrated; FOX News says something that stupid practically every night and its never affected their ratings. Webb still won a serious uphill battle, he cancels out McCain's patriotism and military service edge, and delivers blue-collar votes, plus he's an adversary of the Bush admin and his profile is high after the veteran's bill victory.