Wandering through wondering about that Veep . . . .

Democratic Veep, of course. There is no one of redemptive value on the GOP side who will fix THAT ticket. Not that I'm biased or anything. Oh, no.

I'd actually prefer we spend the time between now and the convention comparing Obama to McCain. More amusing, less divisive. And the likelihood that either Obama or McCain will choose someone who will be a major influence in the White House is small. Neither of them needs a Cheney. But Big Media has dictated otherwise and prefers to inflame and incite further rivalry among Democrats by focusing on VP. I'll play along, mostly because I enjoy reading character studies. (Obviously, I need to get out more.)

Character dictates I remove Hillary Clinton from my list of acceptable candidates before I consider anyone else. Yes, primary candidates always beat up on one another. No crime there. But Clinton drew a line in the sand over which Obama should not cross: her infamous statements clearly implying that McCain would be a better president than Obama. Why would Obama hand McCain such a weapon?

And, even if the latest Vanity Fair article is bullhockey, no sane presidential candidate would want to run with Bill flitting about in the wings. Loose cannons sink ships even more quickly than do loose lips.

Even ignoring these two fatal flaws, Clinton has never fully stepped away from her vote for the war. Obama needs someone who has been against the war from the beginning or who clearly and firmly rejects any previous stance for the war. He is too clearly an anti-war candidate, in stark contrast to McCain, to take on Hillary's baggage in this area.

So who sounds like a good match? Edwards would be my obvious choice, though he's apparently rejected the role out of hand. Bummer. I think my top candidates at this point would be Chris Dodd and Brian Schweitzer and maybe Kathleen Sebelius.

I'll give you one good reason for each before I run off to watch Countdown.

1. Chris Dodd was one of the few who had the guts to vote against funding the surge in 2007.

2. Brian Schweitzer has been the very model of a modern major green governor, pushing heavily for requiring alternative energy sources.

3. Kathleen Sebelius could be a great leader in health care reform, given her experience in doing so in Kansas and her ability to work both sides of the aisle.

More tomorrow,
Liz