Pundits are sure that the top three choices for VP for the Democrats are Bayh, Biden, & Gov. Keane. However, there are hints that Hillary could be the real choice.

Yesterday Gov. Ed Rendall of PA appeared on Fox News and speculated that it is possible to have Hillary as Obama's running mate. Rendall bases his theory on the fact that Obama admires Abe Lincoln, who chose his bitter rival as VP. That sounds logical because the only candidate Obama has personally interviewed is Hillary in the presence of Caroline Kennedy, who heads the Search Committee. John Kennedy chose Lyndon Johnson with whom he had a Convention floor fight. I read that Obama has no campaign organization in Arkansas. Why? If he wants to win Arkansas, Hillary will make it easy. Additionally Hillary can help win Pennsylvania, Florida, and West Virginia for Obama. Nancy Pelosi has said yesterday that Hillary is gracious. This is the same Pelosi who had asked Hillary to quit a few months ago. So what has changed?

Ed Rendall may be right. Obama-Hillary will be an unstoppable ticket, considering that right now Obama and McCain are tied in the daily tracking poll..

Hillary could be a good choice for winning the election. This is especially true among Democratic voters. I don't think that she would help among Independents. Hillary on the ticket would be a dream come true for McCain regarding motivation of the GOP base. They aren't excited about a McCain candidacy, but they would get out in bad weather to vote against a Clinton.

Yes, Hillary could be a good choice for winning the election. But Bill and Hillary would be an absolute disaster in the White House if they do win. It would almost certainly doom an Obama presidency.

I still think that Biden and Nunn are the two most likely prospects.

RM77;

I tend to agree with Nighswimmer, but I always placed Hillary in the 4th or 5th spot for the reasons you have stated, especially the "Team of Rivals" philosophy you have raised and Obama has embraced.

The con is, as Nightswimmer points out, the governance issue. On the other hand, she would be a terrific help on policy and legislative relations.

In terms of electability, I agree with Nightswimmer that she might be a motivator for the right. On the other hand, a few things have changed in the past few weeks. McCain has settled on the inepexperienced flake attack and Hillary would be the best advocate against that. Especially since she invented it. Plus, the Georgia/Russia conflict argues for a person who has been in the White House before.

Another downsize is the "change" message. Obama has to decide if he can fit her into that message.

But McCain has tripped over himself praising Clinton to try to attract her support. This could cause Obama to want to neutralize that approach.

I have never believed that "compatibility" would be the key factor. Governance and electability are the whole enchilada.

And two of Obama's top three projected choices have taken hits in recent weeks. Bayh, who has been my guess, is being portrayed as a lightweight despite his deep experience. Kain, I believe, while being a tremendous public servant, simply emphasizes the inexperience charge.

That leaves Biden who, while having all the chops in the world, doesn't bring a state and would probably rather be Secretary of State. He also doesn't attract the southern white vote that has been so resistant to Obama.

Anyway, as unlikely as this seemed two weeks ago, I agree it has become increasingly possible that Hillary is back in the race. And it is a winning ticket. I'd take Donald Duck if I knew the ticket would win.

That leaves the final question. Does Obama think he's losing or is in great danger of losing? If he picks Hillary, the answer is yes.

"But Bill and Hillary would be an absolute disaster in the White House if they do win. It would almost certainly doom an Obama presidency." - NightSwimmer

I have never found this statement to be convincing. I don't know if the VP is even entitled to an office in the West Wing. Maybe by tradition, but it is the Naval Observatory that is the official residence of the VP, not the White House. Barack Obama could set the Clintons up in the Naval Observatory, brick up the windows, and nail the doors shut.

Geography aside, the VP has no constitutional power other than to break ties in the Senate. Nor does the VP have a power base within the government. It is not for nothing that the vice presidency was once called "not worth a pitcher of warm spit". The only thing the vice presidency is really good for is as a springboard to the presidency.

This is why Hillary Clinton covets the VP slot. She would not dare abuse the position because President Obama could give it to someone else in his 2012 campaign. Furthermore, Obama might not want a bitter and hostile Hillary Clinton in the Senate. The Democrats are unusually united around policies for this election. There is merit in being united around two powerful personalities as well.

It is the very power of these two personalities (not the power or location of the office) to which I refer.

Bill & Hill would dominate the news cycle every day if Hillary was the Vice President. If Obama wants to pursue his own agenda in the Presidency, then he can't have Hillary Clinton sharing the stage.

I just don't see the motive or the means of Hillary Clinton to undermine Barack Obama as VP. To dominate the news cycle she would have to do or say something newsworthy. If that something supports Obama, then it's not particularly newsworthy. If it undermines Obama, then it's political suicide.

On the other hand, VP Hillary Clinton would not be content attending funerals on behalf of President Obama for eight years. Can a VP be given a cabinet position?

You've gone back to discussing the campaign. I am discussing the 4 to 8 years following the election and inauguration.

And no, the VP would not be given a cabinet position even if it was determined to be allowed under the Constitution. I can't see Hillary doing anything but remaining in the Senate at this point. That could be a very important and powerful position for her if she plays her cards right.

I disagree that Clinton is more of a motivator for the extreme right than Obama is on his own or with a different VP.

They have all but said he is the devil incarnate here to turn American into an Islamic state. Maybe you aren't being forwarded the crazy right-wing emails from your wacky aunt-in-law, like me.

Also, personallity doesn't dictate how much power a VP has.

Remember Dick Cheney, the quiet, low key guy who said he had no interest in ever running for president? He has been the most infulential to date.

Besides,I think Hillary and Bill would do great at the state funerals, Bill's a great crier.

Once Obama is elected I can see him pivoting on a dime to make Hillary his number one ally, and Bill doing the same. He can always shut her down if he has to, but I think she will take the lead on the issues she could never get through in the 90's. The word "change" is taking on a new meaning in this general election.

I think she passes the governance question.

It is the campaign qustion that lurks. Can she bring the Pennsylvania and Ohio working class she turned off to Obama in the Spring? If so, he's in.

Last night's Warren forum worried me. Someone has to supercharge Obama's delivery in the general. He has all the issues on his side and he needs to sound more like a regular democrat to attract the middle. The new voters are in the bag and will give him tons of slack.

He also has to broker the energy compromise.

I hope his staff is not only brilliant but flexible.

@ NightSwimmer:

"You've gone back to discussing the campaign."

No, I was discussing a hypothetical Hillary Clinton vice presidency.

I'm not convinced that Hillary could deliver the Pennsylvania and Ohio working class vote in the general had she won the nomination. She wouldn't be running against a black guy in November. Don't underestimate the racism in these states simply because they aren't in the geographical South. I've done a lot of work in these two states. Except for the accents, the folks there aren't much different from Southerners. I was surprised by the popularity of Confederate flags in these "Yankee" states.

Obama's mission with the evangelicals was to reassure them that he is not the Antichrist. He succeeded in that mission. He won't get the majority of this relatively small demographic. he only needs to tamp down their already low enthusiasm for McCain. The GOP is the party that relies on heavy turnout from this group. I'm not so sure that McCain's "fire and brimstone" campaign rhetoric came across as legitimate last night.

Obama's campaign staff has been on target so far. We'll have to wait and see what the future brings. It's not nearly as long as it has been...

This all makes good sense and I am in total agreement.

Let's hope Obama sees the light.

Phoen-X

I'm not convinced that Hillary could deliver the Pennsylvania and Ohio working class vote in the general had she won the nomination. She wouldn't be running against a black guy in November. Don't underestimate the racism in these states simply because they aren't in the geographical South. I've done a lot of work in these two states. Except for the accents, the folks there aren't much different from Southerners. I was surprised by the popularity of Confederate flags in these "Yankee" states.

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Yankee States? Ohio,Michigan and Pa. have the highest rate of Southerners and their offspring of any states.

What do you think drove the many Car companies and all the industry that came after WW 2?

The highway that preceeded I 75 was called,"The Appalachian High Way.You traveled bumper to bumper on weekends on 25,heading back to Kentucky.Tennessee and points south.

BTW,Hillary won those states with very little problems.

I am well aware of Hillary's excellent performance in the Appalachian states. She won handily in WV even when it was already obvious that she would lose the nomination.

I just have my doubts about whether she would have fared so well against any generic white man. Democrats in WV have historically tended to vote Republican in Presidential elections since 1980. Barack Obama won't win this election with Richard Nixon's voting base. Neither did Al Gore nor John Kerry. It's time to try a different tack.