Madam Vice President

She wants it.

She is going to accept if offered.

He has no other choice.

Option A: Anger enough of her supporters leaving her in the same gutter he repeatedly put that bowling ball in and he's toast -- Don't bother to call the movers. Option B: Pick her (or, recognize that 17 million+ voters picked her) and actually have a shot at winning.

Can they win? Maybe. Maybe not. I'm skeptical that America will put an African-American in the White House (or a Jew, a Gay or Lesbian, a Mormon, an Atheist, a Latino, and many, many others for that matter). Upsetting millions of her supporters is not the way to accomplish the task.

When she asked her supporters to go to her site and tell her what they want her to do did they think that being told to bake cookies was an option? Her surrogates have made it quite clear what exactly she wants and they so much as gave those web surfers their marching orders:

In an interview with the Washington Post, Clinton supporter and Black Entertainment Television network founder Robert Johnson said Clinton has authorized him and others to persuade Barack Obama to pick her.

'She said if asked to do this, she must accept because she believes that it is in the best interest of the party that the party come together and win in November,' Johnson told the Post."

The "He's the future, she's the past it, will never work" argument is not good enough.

A majority of his supporters want him to pick her, too.

Can a first term US Senator be backed in to a corner and forced to pick a more senior Senator and win the White House? Been there. Done that. The last time two Senators were on the Democratic ticket was in 1960, when the younger JFK, 46, picked the older LBJ who had served in the House and Senate for more than two decades. Kennedy had arrived at the Democratic convention with less than a majority of the delegates and Johnson, along with Adlai Stevenson, Hubert Humphrey and Sen. Stuart Symington (MO), mounted a Stop Kennedy movement.

Like JFK and LBJ, they'll work it out. They have no other choice and if they do, they may actually win.

Comments

[noneIn2008]

One key word touched is atheist. The worst discrimination in the US is against atheists. Not a single leader in Congress can declare they are atheist. Not a One.

[UncommonSenz]

So he should put someone on his ticket who didn't even have the decency to concede when he won?

He won, she didn't- he gets to pick whomever he wants and she can wait and see what happens.

And, just for the completely politically tone deaf (like the author)- trying to force her on to the ticket is a sure way to demonstrate the lack of diplomacy and role playing necessary for the VP slot. Way to ensure that she has NO chance at it (even if Bill could pass the vetting process, which he can't)

[tedbear]

She lost. He won. Lets look forward instead of continuing to make things worse. I suppose if he can be amicable to her, his supporters can be. No matter how either's supporters feel, he won and he will decide who his running mate is going to be. Maybe if we all don't discuss it, things will be better for his campaign, and his campaign is the most important thing now, not who his VP will be.

[bowseat93]

She wants it.

She is going to accept if offered, unless one of the conditions for the offer is full disclosure of Bill's finances related to his foundation and speaking engagements.

She may decide she wants something else after all.

[chicagojosh]

This sudden obsession that she has to be on the ticket for the Democrats to win in November is completely shortsighted. I get chills thinking about what in the world could possibly come out of her mouth if she was actually asked about taking the VP slot after trying to slam Obama for being inexperienced.

Having a Senator from New York isn't going to help him win over Southern votes, swing states like Colorado and Missouri.

Hillary Clinton would do better work off the ticket. She needs to be able to say all of the ridiculous statements she made about Obama were nothing more than political smoke. It's time for her to offer up a massive "didn't really mean it," before the Republicans start featuring her in political ads.

A person has to earn the VP slot. Running a scorched earth campaign that does nothing more than damage your party while leaving the opposing party unaffected is not exactly the best job interview tactic.

[Jocalo]

And another thing...
I know a lot of people in California that wish they had voted for him and have now been supporting him for months, but who voted for her because she was familiar. That 17 million is a shaky number at best. Name recognition played a huge part on Super Tuesday in CA and probably other states too....

[TedB]

Look at the media froth from the past two days, all about Clinton, nothing about the fact that we have chosen our first black presidential candidate.

If she is on the ticket would Obama be able to expect anything different? Does Obama really want to be defending something Bill said to a reporter in October?

"He has no other choice."---you are pretty dense if you believe that, Rogers.

[SamanthaJaneSalem]

European newspapers: "HISTORIC"

American newspapers: "WHAT'S NEXT FOR HILLARY? (Obama claims victory)"

[Fairfloss]

He is between a rock and a hard place. He knows many expect him to ask her if she wants the VP spot, because she has been GROSSLY mistreated by the media, the Democratic Party and the far left, but he really doesn't want to. He is afraid she'll say "YES," even if he has been assured her pride will make her say "No Thanks."

Barack Obama was anointed by the patriarch of the Kennedy Dynasty to "carry on," in their memory, because their only viable hope was gone, (John Jr.) and broken hearted Teddy and his favorite niece, Caroline passed the Kennedy- Camelot scepter to Barack Obama. Lets hope he has the strength and discretion to hold it high. This is, nevertheless, quite a legacy Edward Kennedy leaves behind.

A woman is the last group of people, this country would elect or should I say, the political parties that run this country, would select to be elected.. We women are people, aren't we? That's another story and another battle, for another day.

[Jocalo]

Yes, we women are people. I hope that we are not so shortsighted that we see this primary loss as being about Senator Clinton's gender, rather than Senator Clinton as a candidate. I am a white feminist over 40 and Sen. Clinton was never on my list of primary candidates for many reasons, not one of which had anything to do with her gender. I think we are ready for a woman president, just not this woman. I don't know why that is so hard for Clinton supporters to hear, but they don't seem to believe that some of us made our choice, as they did, by weighing what was important to them in a candidate. I respect the choice that they made, and while I know that there are nut job racists and misogynists who would vote based on hatred, they are not the majority and we should stop dragging them center stage.

[NorVaGal]

Guess what, Fairfloss? If WE WOMEN continue to blindly support a flawed, egotistical candidate (who put her own personal quest for power before her party and the best interests of our country) for no reason other than her gender, rather than a candidate who ran a more courteous, well-organized, well-managed and efficient campaign, then we will never DESERVE the honor of electing the first woman POTUS.

Barack Obama was not anointed to anything by anyone. He started out with NOTHING-- no money, no name recognition, no party loyalists who owed him their allegiance, no political machine already in place. Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, started out with all of these assets and more. Hillary was the Goliath. Obama was the David.

You do your candidate and us women no favors by the whining, sour grapes, sore loser attitude you project. America WILL have women presidents. But, they will be the RIGHT women for America, at the right time. At THIS time, we have to choose between Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain. I pray we will make the right choice.

[Fairfloss]

NorVaGal

Senator Barack Obama with less than one full term of experience in the Senate, one speech made at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, suddenly, becomes a possible candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.

With his life-long Pastor shouting G D America, among other things. Sure, you're right, any normal, intelligent human-being should have figured that out.

Then, why was Senator Edward Kennedy and the late President John F. Kennedy's only daughter, there to make their ceremonious gesture of backing this person that "started out with NOTHING--no money, no name recognition, no party loyalists,.." (your words)?

Well, the money rolled in and the big names in the Party came over to back him. The wealthiest of people, organizations and POLITICAL MACHINES were there, ready to go.
In one month, he had millions of dollars, to back his campaign and it kept coming in.

The race card was put out there by the Reverend Jeremiah Wright Jr,, Senator Obama's Pastor and mentor. It made people either afraid to be labeled a racist or afraid there will be all kinds of trouble if they don't vote him. It is a nasty, low down ploy to elect this man with no experience, to lead this country, at this time in our history. The Reverend was and is relentless.

[KenTao]

This post is so wrong-headed on so many levels. It goes a long way towards proving that "He's the future, she's the past" is indeed a most valid argument. I can't believe that Hillary's supporters are continuing to be so mean-spirited and demanding that she be given anything she feels entitled to receive. It's that attitude that lost her the primary. It's not about her, it's about US.

This immediately brought to mind the gay person who appeared on the Daily Show last night saying something to the effect that if "they steal the nomination from Hillary" he was going to vote for McCain just for spite. The attitude was like "we gay people are not going to let older white women out hysteria us".

Please, calm down and try to assess the current situation. You may find that President Obama will actually accomplish more of your political goals than Mrs. Clinton ever could. If you can't accept that than, please, go join the Republican party like all the so-called "Reagan Democrats" should have done in the '80's.

Earthlings Unite!

[Soothsayer08]

Your post is dead wrong. Obama doesn't need a liability on his ticket, and no he can get elected without her. The Clinton finances since they left office would disqualify her and Bubba. You statement about Obama's supporters want her too is delusional just like most of her campaign. There are more people that don't want Hillary than do. Are you working for the Rebublicans? You seem like someone that doesn't like people of color. I too agree with Jimmy Carter and Ted Kennedy who said she isn't a good choice. Wake up !

[altohone]

We deserve a VP who didn't vote for the Bush agenda.

If the worst happens, we'd end up with an obliterate Iran pro-war DLC'er... which is not where most Democrats are even if they refuse to acknowledge Hillary's record.

She STILL refuses to admit her war vote was a mistake.
She's on the wrong side of history, and one bullet could turn back the clock.

It's not about the past and the future, it's about judgements made in the past, judgements Hillary remains committed to, that tell us clearly that her vision for the future isn't the same as Obama's.

BTW, to say there aren't other options is purely ridiculous.

[Pocho]

I like chocolate chip cookies but does she know how to bake them?

[Gma11]

Nonsense.

[several]

"A majority of his supporters want him to pick her, too."

I know A LOT of Obama supporters, and I know no one who wants him to pick her. I've seen zero polling data on the matter. Got a reference to cite for us.

Bill Clinton won't release his library donation records, which is a deal killer for the vetting process for Hillary as VP.

Your political compass is wwaaaayyy off. You must be standing near a big magnet. Or a big river named De Nile.

[JimR]

"A majority of his supporters want him to pick her, too."

Ohhhh, I get it now. This column is a work of fiction.