Process of Elimination

[Laura PourMeADrink]

He can't pick

Sebelius - would piss off Hillary and supporters

Richardson (unfortunately) - two minority ticket (sickening as this is)

Bayh - too war mongering - co-wrote IWR

Kaine - too short a resume - despite his pluses

Clark - because of that big to-do over his McDummy comments. O pretty much said Clark
didn't speak for him

Clinton - mostly because of Bill and Bill's refusal to jump on board with full speed



No one left but Biden, Kerry or Gore

[polichick]

1. Obama made a big mistake with that comment re: Clark...

Wonder if he's learned since then that he can't just let McCain's perceived strength go untouched??

[dkf]

2. Yeah, now McCain thinks Obama is too scared to go after the POW thing.

So he is using it as his blanket excuse.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

4. But there is SO much he could use against McDummy, legitmately

like his damn voting record - which is wealth of ammunition. Especially all
the bullshit about McDummy supporting the troops - he's voted against everything
that really helps them.

[dkf]

5. Doesn't seem to be working to me.

Besides you know how votes always get distorted. I kind of laugh those assertions off myself.

[JoFerret]

26. The Clark comment was legitimate

it was just the mistake of telling the truth.

That's what surrogates are for. Telling the truth that the candidate can't.

[polichick]

21. Yep - a noun, a verb, and POW!

[Laura PourMeADrink]

3. Maybe he needs a VP to do it for him? But you made me think of

something. (not about Clark) I think Obama responds too much. I noticed McDummy doesn't do that. It's
actually quite smart sometimes to deflect. Obama seems to feel the need to comment on every last thing
anyone asks him, and he makes headlines. What you end up doing that you open up yourself to criticism - especially if it is
an off-the-cuff answer that you really should deflect and do more homework.

[polichick]

22. Deflecting is a good idea - Obama reminds me of myself when I try to...

...explain something to someone who doesn't want to understand. My husband says I give those people too much credit ~ I think Barack does too.

[Sparkly]

23. I agree 100% nt

[grantcart]

25. Taking out the Clark comment , Clark was never a serious contender for VP

His own people admit that despite being very personable and well loved by his supporters he was a terrible campaigner and in the last 4 years he hasn't done anything to elevate his profile. I found his regular appearances on FOX to be mediocre and then they would bash him for 15 minutes after he left. Why he would agree to that gig I don't understand.

[Sparkly]

27. We must be talking about two different people.

The Wesley Clark I know is an excellent campaigner, held his own against professional politicians, and is in demand on the campaign trail. He gives brilliant interviews and commentary on a range of networks and radio shows, supports Democrats at every level, actively raises funds and awareness through WesPAC, VoteVets, and StopIranWar, and continues to travel worldwide, still respected by international leaders...

I don't know what Clark you're talking about.

[polichick]

29. I've wondered if there were other factors that kept him from being a serious contender for veep...

Maybe his relationship with the Clintons.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

31. I heard recently that everyone who ever worked for him hated him. I wonder

if it is because he is so intelligent and seems to know it all if it turns people off?

[Douglas Carpenter]

6. it is an established fact that Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut has been vetted by the team

And he has a very impressive resume.

Although, I would be quite (pleasantly) surprised if it was him.

[iamjoy]

14. Dodd Has Problems

His favorable mortgage treatment while the system was in meltdown for one.

Now I don't really believe Dodd did anything wrong - of course one is going to take the best offer he (or she) can get on a mortgage. However, the appearance of wrong doing is enough for some people, meaning Dodd has a bit of baggage.

Of course, can we really talk about Dodd's preferential treatment by a finance company without talking about McSame's involvement in Keating Five?

[Mass]

17. Dodd gives a senate seat to the GOP.

[jobycom]

7. He can't pick Biden because of history of plagairism and racially idiotic comments.

Not to mention that Biden has been all over the map on Iraq, and even called for a surge (without calling it that) just before Bush did. (I've never liked Biden, and always thought of him as the typical empty suit politician, so I'm really hoping it isn't him).

He can't pick Gore because Gore won't do it.

Kerry got hammered in 04, and decided not to run this time because of the damage done then...

I guess we are out of candidates.

[Douglas Carpenter]

8. the plagiarism was 20 years ago and Biden has a near perfect score on civil rights concerns

That plagiarism case was funny though. I had happened to be in the U.K. in 1987 when Neil Kinnock lead the Labour Party in the general election.
I remember very well Mr. Kinnock saying in one of his important speeches, "I was the first Kinnock in a thousand generations to go to university."

So when less than a year later Sen. Biden said in one of his speeches, "I was the first Biden in a thousand generations to go to university." I immediately, started thinking to myself, "am I having a deja vu experience?"

[Hope And Change]

9. LOL.That was a good one.

[JTFrog]

10. And voted for IWR and the Bankruptcy Act and has no regrets about either. n/t

[Douglas Carpenter]

13. I know that. But compared to Evan Bayh the man is a saint.

Sometimes in politics as in life, you have to cut your losses and take the best that is proffered at the time.

The choice is simply not going to be Bernie Sanders of Evan Bayh. Its most likely going to be Biden or Bayh

Evan Bayh is such a wacko foreign policy extremist that one of his biggest problems with the current Iraq War seems to be that he worries that in might prevent a war with Iran.

http://washingtonindependent.com/view/stop-obama-bayh-08

Evan Bayh didn't just vote for the war, he was a cheerleader

Evan Bayh was one of the earliest and most enthusiastic cheerleaders along with Sen. McCain and Sen. Lieberman and the whole crew of neocon nuts for the War in Iraq.

"The Committee for the Liberation of Iraq (CLI) is pleased to welcome Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) as an Honorary Co-Chairman. Bayh becomes the third U.S. Senator to join the committee after Sens. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) announced their participation on January 28.

The Committee is a neo-con group that was formed to propagandize the country into war. It boasted such illustrious neocon members as Bill Kristol, former CIA director James Woolsey, and even McCain senior foreign policy and Chalabi-bamboozler Randy Scheunemann, whom Josh has been blogging about."

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/07/bayh_as_veep_he_cochaired_wing.php

----

"This is a hallmark of Evan Bayh. A former chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council and a past recipient Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson Award for Distinguished Service from the neoconservative security think tank JINSA."

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/02/03/evan_bayh_tough_but_smart.php

[JTFrog]

19. It isn't going to be either one. I can't see him contradicting his entire campaign

message of having better judgment on the war by picking someone who supported and enabled it.

I honestly believe he's smarter than that. I also don't think he's going to pick another Senator. It's risky enough having one on the ticket these days.

[Douglas Carpenter]

20. frankly, I hope you are right. I hope the Vice Presidential candidate will be someone who

clearly and unambiguously opposed the war from the beginning and even MUCH MORE IMPORTANTLY, someone who would not be the least bit inclined to lead us into anymore foolish adventures.

But, I have been following the discussions on this from all the tea leave readers and they almost all think it will be one or the other.
There seems to be a feeling that there is only an outside chance of Gov. Kaine or Gov. Sebelius. But the consensus seem to be that it will be someone who can claim significant foreign policy experience which would rule those two out.

But maybe the tea leave readers are all wrong. I hope so.

[MarjorieG]

30. He co-wrote the Biden-Lugar Am to bring GW back to Congress.

Gephardt sold them all out in the name of bi-partisanship and getting back to kitchen issues for 2002, ceding foreign policy, again. All thought Colin Powell would stop them at the UN, but no....

[DefenseLawyer]

11. Biden does not have a "history of plagiarism"

Biden gave one stump speech in Iowa where he used a line from a British MP about being the first in his family to go to college without crediting it, as he had done numerous times previously giving the same speech. Dukakis had it on video tape and made a huge deal about it. It was an error, but certainly not a "history of plagiarism".

[jobycom]

12. Yes he does, dating back to law school.

He lifted the Kinnock speech (not just one line, but a whole segment of the speech), he borrowed from an RFK speech at another time, he failed a course in law school for plagairizing an article...

[DefenseLawyer]

15. Oh please

He didn't use proper citation in a paper as a first year law student. He used one footnote instead of multiple citations. He received a failing grade because of the error and retook the class the next year. How were your first year law school grades? Maybe you could share some of your work with us. It is fine that you don't like Joe Biden, I don't particularly like Joe Biden, but just say you don't like him, don't resort to this kind of bush league stuff.

[jobycom]

18. My first year grad school grades were better than that

And you don't fail a class for improper footnoting, you get marked down. You fail for plagairizing. It wouldn't be a big deal, except he got caught twice in 88 plagairaizing speeches, too.

As for Bush league stuff, that's what he'll face running against the Republicans. What are they going to do, talk about real issues?

That was one comment of several I made as to why I don't think he's a good candidate. It hardly matters, Obama will pick who he picks. But the OP was commenting on weaknesses, so I added mine for Biden.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

32. LOL. Guess so - out of choices. Guess we're all guilty of seeking

too much perfection, huh.

I have heard many people discuss Iraq and Biden is just about the most knowledgable I have heard.

I am still hoping for Richardson.

[iamjoy]

16. Nope, It Won't Be

Gore has said he doesn't want it, and while he may just be playing coy, it is also possible he really doesn't want it.

Biden has a bit of baggage - he inserts his foot into his mouth a little to frequently.

Kerry - I think we could do worse. Kerry has a great resume, and what he lacks in charisma/broad appeal is less important in a VP than one at the top of the ticket.

Can you eliminate Bob Graham? The Floridian was a Governor - adding some executive experience to the ticket. He was also a Senator on the Intelligence Committee, beefing up Obama's foreign policy credentials. Oh, did you know Graham opposed the IWR? Of course, some might say he's a little old - about McCain's age. He is kind of boring - but again, it is not as important for a running mate to light up a room.

SO....

What about Bob?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

33. I like Bob Graham. He'd be great and get us FL !

[grantcart]

24. too short a resume or too short a 'Washington' resume

If your going to be running against Washington then having a long DC resume seems counter productive while having Mayorial and Gubenatorial resume would make sense.

It is not going to be Gore or Kerry.

Leaving Biden or Kaine or possibly Clinton and just ignoring Bill for 8 years.

[Marrah_G]

28. Kerry is running for his senate seat this year, by MA law he cannot run for both offices.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

34. Interesting. I never knew that.

[Marrah_G]

35. They made the law to keep Romney from doing it.