Hillary for VP? Not.
I keep hearing that once it is official when Clinton has dropped out of the race that the Democratic Party will have to undergo a healing process. I also keep hearing that the easy way of doing this is for Obama to make Clinton the VP on the ticket.
But the way this campaign has gone on the left side of the aisle, you really have to sense the canyon that healing process will have to cross is wide. And as Novak reports, a VP nod just ain't going to happen:
Close-in supporters of Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign are convinced he never will offer the vice presidential nomination to Sen. Hillary Clinton for one overriding reason: Michelle Obama.
The Democratic front-runner's wife did not comment on other rival candidates for the party's nomination, but she has been sniping at Clinton since last summer. According to Obama sources, those public utterances do not reveal the extent of her hostility.
A footnote: Support is growing in Democratic ranks for Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland as vice president. He would bring to the ticket maturity (66 years old), experience (six terms in Congress) and moderation (rated "A" by the National Rifle Association). He is very popular in Ohio, a state Republicans must carry to elect a president.
So the question is going to be can the Democratic Party heal? My guess: Most likely. If McCain could heal the Republican Party -- my guess is that it will happen with the Democrats.
But if this holds true...
A sizable proportion of Democrats would vote for John McCain next November if he is matched against the candidate they do not support for the Democratic nomination. This is particularly true for Hillary Clinton supporters, more than a quarter of whom currently say they would vote for McCain if Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee.
...Obama has his work cut out for him. Or it is game, set, match for McCain.
Comments
Could be.
Edwards doesn't do it for me. At this point, I simply can't vote for Obama. I do not trust him, at all.
I think calling a female reporter "sweetie" while flippantly dismissing her for asking him an actual question might have pushed me over the edge. I was considering voting for him over the past oupl of days but now, I am out. McCain has my vote unless he does something completely stupid.
Not to say that I'm completely comfortable with the GOP's imminent nominee. I have a hard time trusting McCain, but I think he's more inclusive and moderate than Obama could ever wish to be. With the experience he's had in Congress working with Democrats, I'm glad he's come out and said that he'd put some left-leaners in his administration--at least he's being honest and not surprising us while he would be making those decisions in late November and December.