Obama Shares his Criteria for Vice-President

In Boca Raton, he was asked about his criteria for choosing a vice president. “My goal is to have the best possible government,” Obama responded. “I am very practical-minded.” He noted that one of his heroes, Abraham Lincoln, named political rivals to his Cabinet. “How can we get this country through this time of crisis? That has to be the approach that one takes.”

He added: “By the way, that does not exclude Republicans, either. The best person for the job is the person I would want.”…

Source: my.barackobama.com via politisite

“In a briefing with reporters here in Washington, Obama manager David Plouffe offered the campaign’s first public comments on what criteria Obama would use to choose his vice presidential ticket-mate.

Responding to a reporter’s question, Plouffe said that Obama would choose someone ‘qualified to be president and someone who’ll be a partner in governing.’

‘We certainly don’t want to pick someone who will hurt,’ he said.

(Marc Ambinder)

Source: realclearpolitics.com via politisite

Sen. Chuck Hagel’s VP Prospects Fall

As part of their overall vice presidential “vetting” process, operatives for Barack Obama are making the rounds on Capitol Hill assessing potential Democratic support for Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel as Obama’s running mate. But so far, the reaction hasn’t been very positive.

Hagel, a Vietnam War veteran, has won the admiration of some dovish Democrats because of his strong opposition to the Iraq war. And his addition to the ticket would represent the kind of outreach and bipartisanship that Obama is emphasizing in his campaign.

But as Obama operatives have sounded out Democrats about Hagel, they have encountered serious resistance from many who say the Nebraska Republican is too conservative on other issues, especially abortion. As a result, some Democratic insiders say Hagel’s prospects are plummeting.

—Kenneth T. Walsh

Source: usnews.com via politisite

Obama Advised Against Picking Sam Nunn as Running Mate; Former Senator and General Electric Board Member Allowed GE to Do Business with Iran

WASHINGTON, June 25 —

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama should not select former Sen. Sam Nunn to be his vice presidential running mate because of Mr. Nunn’s support for doing business with the terrorist state of Iran.

“Sam Nunn voted to allow the General Electric Company to do business with Iran despite that the U.S. government had labeled Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism,” said Tom Borelli of Action Fund Management, the investment adviser to the Free Enterprise Action Fund, a publicly-traded mutual fund. “Someone who supports doing business with an avowed enemy of the U.S. has no place in the White House,” Borelli added.

Source: sunherald.com via politisite

It’s Not Even Close: Obama Should Pick Clinton for VP

It’s not even close. Compare Hillary Clinton to all the names being floated for Barack Obama’s running mate and the conclusion is beyond obvious Senator Obama, you are a very smart man which makes me confident you are ignoring the advice of the Washington chattering class who are strongly opposed to you putting Hillary Clinton on the ticket .

The chatterers are nice people but let’s face it, most have never been involved in a campaign, know nothing about targeting, or persuadable voters, or analyzing polls beyond the match race and favorability ratings. They are people who harbor negative feelings towards Hillary Clinton formed years ago and who stubbornly ignore the evidence of her political maturation.

Source: realclearpolitics.com via politisite

Bob Beckel managed Walter Mondale’s 1984 presidential campaign. He is a senior political analyst for the Fox News Channel and a columnist for USA Today. Beckel is the co-author with Cal Thomas of the book “Common Ground.”

Clinton as his running mate in `08 8 Reasons Not to Choose Her as a Running Mate.

Yet here are eight reasons it’s a bad idea:

1. Choosing Clinton would belie Obama’s message of change. Whether you admire her or not, you have to acknowledge that Clinton’s an old-style, legacy Democrat. Obama’s candidacy is premised on a break with the past.

2. Choosing Clinton would belie Obama’s repudiation of the old way of doing politics. Clinton and her surrogates are tough campaigners who have gone hard after Obama (see below) trying to draw him into the fight. And on those occasions where he and his team have responded in kind, Team Clinton has smirkingly asked whatever happened to the politics of hope?

3. Bill Clinton. He’s a brilliant man and an amazing politician, but he’s shown an inability to stay on message and keep his foot out of his mouth as he campaigns for his wife. Obama already has Rev. Jeremiah Wright to worry about — he doesn’t need another loose cannon out there ready to fire.

4. She’s polarizing. For all that she’s shown how popular she can be with certain groups of primary voters, Hillary Clinton also remains a controversial and unpopular figure. Here are her “unfavorable” ratings among all voters in a set of recent national polls, with Obama’s unfavorability ratings in parenthesis: 37 (30) ; 45 (37) 46 (38) 49 (40) 54 (39) 53 (37).

5. She’ll be the star of anti-Obama commercials: “It’s imperative that each of us be able to demonstrate we can cross the commander-in-chief threshold,” she said on March 6. “I believe that I’ve done that. Certainly, Sen. McCain has done that and you’ll have to ask Sen. Obama with respect to his candidacy.”

6. She’s gone beyond the pale in attacking Obama: “I have a lifetime of experience that I will bring to the White House. Sen. John McCain has a lifetime of experience that he’d bring to the White House. And Sen. Obama has a speech he gave in 2002,” she said on March 4. Clinton delivered this insulting, dismissive, destructive critique several times, and it’s a bell she can’t unring.