The speculation is rampant since the release of the Convention schedule and the associated themes for each night.
Looking for clues on Barack Obama‘s pick for a running mate? Consider the Democratic convention’s theme for the night the vice presidential candidate speaks: national security.
Political tea leaf readers would argue that bodes well for Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joe Biden, D-Del.; Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, who accompanied Obama on his trip to Iraq and Afghanistan; and Sam Nunn, former Georgia senator and one-time Armed Services Committee chairman.
It won’t be Hagel, as he is way too conservative on social issues. It won’t be Nunn for the same reason, and also because Nunn is a relic of the 1980’s and early 1990’s. He has been out of the public spotlight since then. And I doubt it would be Jack Reed for two reasons, even though he is a true progressive: 1) he is unknown nationally; and 2) Rhode Island inexplicably has a Republican Governor. Further, while the article does not mention Wesley Clark, I will. Had not Clark’s words about McCain’s service as a fighter pilot not being a qualification for the Presidency been taken out of context by the traditional media and the right wing noise machine, he probably would be the vice presidential nominee.
I think the right wing knew this, and the machine went into overdrive to kill Clark.
It won’t be Clinton. The petulance of the Clinton camp over the last week (Bill Clinton’s interview with ABC, Hillary’s leaked YouTube video about having a Roll Call at the convention, Wolfson’s remarks about Hillary winning but for Edwards, the coming Atlantic story about internal Clinton emails) proves that they know it won’t be them. Further, the convention schedule has Hillary being the Keynote Speaker for the Convention, and she will highlight Tuesday night.
And with foreign policy reemerging as an issue in this campaign, with Iraq demanding a withdrawal timetable, the Georgian War, and the impending impeachment of Perez Musharaff in Pakistan, it is doubtful the vice presidential nominee will be Governors Kathleen Sebelius or Tim Kaine, or Senator Evan Bayh.
Obama-Biden.
I called it first.