Here comes my last shot at the VP pickings.
A long shot, but I still think it will be Mark Warner. However, I am taking under serious consideration the thoughts of my two astute advisors. First, my son, editor and grounded-in-this-earth-with-such-sound-common- sense-alien (don’t know where he came from) is sticking to his guns on a choice for Tim Kaine. My other trusted cohort, cousin Natalie, is going with Biden, but she wavers (who doesn’t?).
If Obama follows through with his message of innovation, change and turning over a new leaf in Washington, D.C., he will definitely go with Kaine. It won’t matter to Obama that Kaine has virtually no experience in foreign affairs; Kaine’s asset will be exactly that “newness”, that “freshness”. An appointment of a seasoned person, such as Biden, as Secretary of State would offset Kaine’s lack of international relations experience.
So if I am way off base choosing Warner, my bet is on Kaine. It would be very typical and consistent of Obama to choose the person he truly believes in rather than cave to the job description. This is his strength: doing his homework ten times over, building and trusting his organization’s background work and going with the information he has learned. Then, and only then, he would back up the factual data with his astute intuitive sense of what is right, what will work.
Please read Frank Rich’s op-ed piece in The New York Times from this past Sunday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/17/opinion/17rich.html?_r=1&oref=sloginH
He is so clear in his thinking, as Obama is also. McCain is nothing. We know very little about him because there isn’t much to know. Therefore, as a campaign strategy, the Republicans have chosen to belittle and smear Obama rather than talk up McCain. They think their spin, based on an illogical turn of the tables, will disguise the emptiness of John McCain. I am not an ageist, but in the case of McCain, he is showing signs of rapid aging, physically and especially mentally. This is not a condition that will get better with time. It does not bode well for a four year or eight year term of office as the President of the United States.
Somehow Obama must communicate to the American public that, regardless of and probably directly due to, his lack of tenure in our national government is actually a blessing. The old way has spelled disaster for our economy, our international standing and our ability to give our citizens a secure, comfortable life. I have no idea how Obama should communicate this, but he MUST.
I’m off to play Bingo for Barack.
Yo Mama For Obama 
August 19, 2008 at 8:40 pm
You’re going to hate me for this but I still want him to pick Hillary.
I think he’ll end up picking Evan Bayh.
I want Biden to stay in the Senate and I’d like to see Warner in the Senate too. Kaine would not compliment Obama well as they are both relative newcomers to national politics.
I think McCain will pick Tim Pawlenty. I can’t even begin to imagine him picking Romney and Ridge would be the unapologetic “I am like Bush, get over it” move. Part of my thinks he’s still considering Charlie Christ too.
August 19, 2008 at 8:41 pm
P.S. I realize I’m reiterating a few of your concerns.
August 19, 2008 at 8:42 pm
the VP nominee has to bring a state that wasn’t won last time. it’s the only way. it’s gotta be kaine.
August 19, 2008 at 9:26 pm
I agree with Nephew Number 3 in that I think McCain will pick Pawlenty, an Evangelical. I think he does not like Romney and Ridge, to the social religious psychos, would be unacceptable. Do I dare say if I were he I would think seriously about Ridge and I would ditch the albatross of the religious wackos which he must feel is slung like a millstone (forgive the New Testament pun) around his neck. McCain is not going to get all the religious fanatics to vote for him anyway. They simply will not vote. McCain is NOT, in truth, religious so it must stick in his craw that he must contort his being to their every whim. Well, it would stick in my craw although I am not a Republican. Sorry, I digress.
As for Obama, I wholeheartedly agree he certainly MUST MUST MUST communicate his skills other than delivering a speech and he is lucky this time, I got over the Brokeback Saddleback affair. Who advised him on that one? It should have come with an agreement if he goes to religious fundamentalismville McCain must entertain student troops in Harvard Yard or Princeton. I hope it is not exemplary of Obama’s decision-making abilities. I jest. Seriously, though, that was an error to have coffee with Grand High Exalted Pastor Rick Warren even though he has a cell more humanity than the rest of the bad Evangelical lot. Perhaps no one or few were watching as the Olympics, thank the goddess, were on. So, my VP guess (yes, YoMamma is right I waiver more than Mitt Romney seeking any elective office he can find) now I suppose is Kaine ALTHOUGH I would love to see Biden in the VP slot because it is okay to lose a Democratic senator from Delaware in my opinion. Secretary of State is fine for Biden BUT I want a VP who can tip the balance for the election at least a little bit. Obama needs that. After Cheney’s bubble bath in power the vice-presidency is now more than a warm bucket of spit.
August 20, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Update: I think McCain’s putting Lieberman’s and Ridge’s name out there is a RUSE for Romney the Mormon. What a team. If McCain wins with Romney as number two I’m definitely either killing myself or moving to Iceland!
For Obama: I now think it’s Biden. Vacillating yet another time.
August 23, 2008 at 12:47 am
I agree with Natalie, except I’ll move to New Zealand if McCain/ idiot Romny win. Romney reminds me of Dan Quayle – he has that “deer in the headlights” look in his eyes (probably because there’s no gray matter behind his eyes).