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The cases for Clark, Schweitzer and the Unknown Quantity
<center><img src="http://media.sustainableindustries.com/images/Schweitzer_Brian_large.jpg"></center>
For as long as Obama has had the nomination, I've felt like his VP choice would be a genuine surprise -- someone who is not on the official list of possibilities. Sen. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_biden">Joe Biden</a> is witty and would make a good attack dog, Gov. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkQ04Tk7dTk">Tim Kaine</a> might help in Virginia, and Gen. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kag0bBJVkIw">Wesley Clark</a> could provide the perfect trifecta of military credentials, antiwar positions, and outsider status. (He's still probably my preferred choice.) However, I still get this feeling Obama decided who he wanted to run with a long time ago, and it would be someone who plausibly fit with this whole theme of change and reform. Who knows? Maybe it's Feingold, Sebelius, Zinni, Gephardt, etc. etc. Over the last few weeks, the various flare-ups of press attention about Kaine and then Sen. Bayh definitely look like a clever bait-and-switch on the part of the campaign.
I have no idea who he will pick, and I think he probably has a clever plan in place for whoever his choice is. For some reason, though, I keep thinking Montana governor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Schweitzer">Brian Schweitzer</a> would be an interesting choice. He'd be no help in a big swing state like Ohio or Missouri (though, improbably enough, MT is actually a swing state for the first time in 28 years), and I assume he has no experience on the national security issues. But seeing lean, mean Obama next to a jovial, tubby guy from Montana seems like a nice tableaux to set for the election. It would say, "NEW, NEW, NEW" -- here is a Democratic Party that represents a new generation and looks to the West. Clark offers the substantive elements, in my opinion, but I'd like to see a totally fresh face with an untold storyline like Kaine or Schweitzer come to the fore. Thoughts?
Comments (1)
See my responses on josephcast's thread - I think it will be a higher profile governor (Kaine, Strickland, etc) that can nab a key swing state, not a senator. Not sure if Schweitzer can do this for the Dems, though he's definitely likeable - I also think you need a wolverine in this role.
August 8, 2008 1:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
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