Now that Sen. Barack Obama is the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee—at least until HRC and/or her followers pull an “October Surprise” at the party’s convention in Denver —there’s been a lot of talk about who’ll be his VP.
First things, first: let’s get the HRC question out of the way, shall we?
Obama would surely prefer to ingest car battery acid-flavored, bio-toxic waste, than to put her on the ticket. (I’m exaggerating but not by much.) Not only that, but as the VP candidate’s spouse Bill’s got questionable skeletons in his closet that would not pass legal vetting muster. (There’s a reason he’s not agreed to disclose the list of donors to his presidential library.) And if they were to win the election together, President Obama would possibly find himself hampered by what former Carter administration National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski recently called, “a government in exile”, referring to the close proximity of both Bill and HRC waiting their turn. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here. You see, aside from the feasibility of a black man/white woman ticket—more on that later—all the nasty comments, attacks and slime that HRC flung Obama’s way are already being recycled and used in GOP attack ads. So, yeah, that’s really gonna bolster the “Hillary as VP” argument. And lest we forget, Obama has billed himself as the “change” candidate. With all the discontent over a perceived Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton dynastic lock on the presidency, putting HRC on the ticket would practically nullify that stance.
Virginia Sen. Jim Webb is my first choice for Obama’s running mate. Very respected, stand up guy, military background, with a son who may still be serving in Iraq. But he's not very immigration-friendly and has had image problems regarding his supposed views on women and the Confederacy in the past. Gen. Wesley Clark is my other choice, and quite possibly the best one: like Sen. Webb he is well-respected, and has the military background, plus he’s a former HRC surrogate/supporter, which could very well help mend fences. But the General comes across rather wimpy sometimes which is very puzzling, considering this was a man whose job title was once NATO Supreme Allied Commander. Hmmm…
As a way to look good with the party’s women folk, Obama could pick Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sibelius, who has a great resume and having to govern her state with a GOP legislature, knows a thing or two about getting things done. But let’s be realistic: you can't do black and female—or black and brown (ex: New Mexico’s Gov. Bill Richardson) for that matter—right now. That Obama is a man of color is a big enough obstacle to overcome in terms of combating racial prejudice and ignorance, even among certain Democrats, let alone the country at large. It's just too much for one election to have a mixed gender/minority race ticket. Maybe soon. But not now.
And as for Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware and former Sen. John Edwards, I predict both will be in the cabinet if Obama wins. (Perhaps Secretary of State and Attorney General, respectively?)
Speaking of Edwards, what is up with his wife Elizabeth? Is she the embodiment of the party's 50+ year old women who feel personally wronged by HRC's defeat? Wake up, people. If you thought 8 yrs of George W. Bush was rough, John "100 Years in Iraq" McCain represents 4 more of Shrub. Or worse. So if these women want the Dems to lose this election out of spite, then to quote the Spin Doctors, just go ahead now. See what happens. Despite McSame being an average candidate at best (the GOP’s John Kerry), with serious antagonists disgruntled with his candidacy within his own ranks, and representing a party and the policies of a supremely failed administration, he’s neck and neck with Obama in current polls. He’s also been lucky enough to run against a black man—thereby getting a potential boost from those prejudiced or flat out racist—so if you gals wanna make it even easier for him to beat Obama go right ahead. But remember this: if Obama loses this election HRC will ALWAYS be blamed for poisoning the well and dividing the party and quite possibly will never be a presidential candidate again. So choose your actions wisely, is all I have to say.
And while on the topic of female candidates, if McCain picks Sarah Palin for VP, Obama might not be down for the count but it could be a serious blow with women, especially the ones truly willing to defect from the Democratic Party. However, the hugely popular—and hot—Alaskan governor recently gave birth to a child with Down Syndrome which could preclude her from hitting the campaign trail just yet. From what I can tell, that lady, comes off as a rebel and individualist, allegedly taking on her party’s ethically-challenged power structure in her state and driving them out of office in the process. Which reminds me, WHEN WILL THE MEDIA FINALLY STOP CALLING McSAME A MAVERICK?!!! He’s been towing the Bush/Cheney line for the longest and disgustingly so, especially in light of the Bush 2000 campaign’s smear attack organized against him in South Carolina by none other than Karl Rove…who is now an advisor to the McSame campaign. I know politics is dirty but c'mon! I used to respect the Arizona senator. I just can’t anymore.
And the Grandpa Simpson-with-his-finger-on-the-button scenario is just too scary.
One recent development I’ve noticed that pleases me is Obama being a bit ballsier in his approach: pulling Sen. Joe Lieberman aside and chastising him for his “personal attacks and his half-hearted denials of the false rumors that Obama is a Muslim”; stating that to compare McSame’s tax plan to that of Shrub’s is actually unfair to Shrub for it is worse than the current administration’s (heh, heh). Sweet. More of that, sir. Yes, indeed.
Finally, and regrettably, I’ve also discovered that according to the always fair and balanced Fox 'News' brain trust, I am a terrorist, as I frequently utilize the fist bump, or “pound” in greeting or in celebration with friends. Well, at least with Obama and his wife Michelle being practitioners of this terrorist code message as well, I’m in good company.
Now, for those five words:
Fired up. Ready to go.
