Should Hillary accept VP slot if offered?

[kennetha]

Let's grant, for the sake of argument, that Obama is more likely than not to be the democratic nominee. Here are some things that strike me as more likely than not, at least at this moment.

First, without a serious reconciliation between Obama and Clinton supporters, Obama is probably going to lose in November. Second, even with Hillary's enthusiastic endorsement, he may well still lose. That's because many of Clinton's supporters are so angry and alienated that nothing short of her on the ticket -- either at the head or in second place -- will satisfy them. I myself am not quite that alienated and angry. But I'm getting closer and closer every day.

I think Obama's main chance of winning the vast bulk of Hillarydom over to his cause is to put Hillary herself on the ticket.

But sometimes it strikes me that he may be too small-minded, arrogant and fearful to see that. Indeed, part of me wonders whether he is man enough and secure enough in himself to put a tough woman, with a determined and independent base of support that's nearly equal to his own, on the ticket. It seems as though he may fear being overshadowed by her. That's really just a guess, of course. Clearly, though, many in his camp are too fearful, too small-minded and too arrogant to see the writing on the wall. They want a VP that is subservient, one that owes his/her political future entirely to Obama. They want a yes man or yes woman that will be nice wall paper. Hillary clearly isn't that. If Obama shares their outlook, he will never choose her.

On the other side, there is the question of whether Hillary should want to be on Obama's ticket even if offered. If she is on the ticket, and if he really is as small minded and fearful or her as his supporters evidently are, then he will do everything he can to diminish and emasculate her. On the other hand, if he has a larger, less self-focused vision than his supporters do, he will try to magnify her and exploit her considerable strengths.

So depending on how Clinton sizes up the real Obama, it just may be better for her (and for the party) to basically sit this one out.

It would be painful, in a way, to watch him go down in flames. And who knows what trouble a President McCain could cause.

But with her base in tact and expanded in 2012 -- as she goes back to the Senate and fights and fights and fights for progressive causes against John McCain -- she will be the presumptive nominee. Moreover, the "Obama wing" of the party will be in shambles. They and their enablers will take the blame for leading us to defeat in what looked like a sure democratic year. That would be hardball politics, to be sure. But sometimes you have to play hardball to save a party from itself. Plus the race doesn't always go to the swift.

On the other hand, if Obama wins without any help from Hillarydom, the party will be his and his alone for the next eight years. She has to make a calculation whether that is more or less likely. But personally, I think that without Hillary there is almost no chance of an Obama victory.

[ruby slippers]

1. it all depends on what she wants most....accept and become the

first woman Vice President or decline and risk Obama winning. Which do you think she wants more? That is the question.

[Common Sense Party]

2. Hold on a second...

:popcorn:


Okay...ready!

[dailykoff]

3. The real question is, should she choose Obama or Bill as a veep?

And when DOES Jessica Savitch get her prime-time news show anyway?

[JTFrog]

61. It's not too late!!!!!

[GarbagemanLB]

4. 'goes to the senate and fights for progressive causes'....IWR? Kyl Leiberman? Cluster Bombs?

[hokies4ever]

Great point

Before reading your post, I was in favor of Hillary for Senate Majority Leader. Now thinking about it, it sounds like a horrible idea. What do you think is the best use of Hillary's political future for the Dems?

[mahina]

5. I wouldn't waste too much energy on this question,

because that is not going to happen, promise.

If you'd care to wager...

[Beacool]

6. I think that they both should be on the ticket.

I dislike Obama as much as many of his supporters dislike Hillary, but they have each won half of the Democratic votes.

Obama should offer Hillary the VP spot, I would have said the same thing if she had been the one on top. The nominee cannot disenfranchise half of the party and the millions of people who voted for the other candidate. I don't know whether Hillary is interested in the job, but the offer should at least be made.

[Tunkamerica]

9. um, nobody was disenfranchised

and yes they can, i'm not saying they should, but the whole point is the winner wins the nomination. The votes were made and counted and Hillary has come in second. How is that disenfranchisement?

[chknltl]

10. How exactly would half the party be disenfranchised?

Are you saying that their votes would cease to matter? If so why?

[MrsT]

11. I agree

but using "disenfranchise" is pretty heavy handed.

[woolldog]

12. are you really a clinton supporter?

I've seen some of your other posts and you seem very levelheaded.

[MrsT]

16. Guess what?

Not all Clinton supporters are obnoxious, and not all Obama supporters are saints.

[woolldog]

23. except this obama supporter

O8)

[Beacool]

22. They will be if the person who won 49% of the vote is thrown under the bus.

This election is the closest we've ever had and both have more than won the right to be on the other one's ticket by the sheer amount of votes that they have gotten. They liked each other before this primary and they can act like professionals and forget in time the bruising primary.

This is not a normal election where we have two white middle aged guys duking it out. We have two historical characters who are obviously well liked by the voters or they wouldn't have gotten the millions of votes that they each have received. Why not bring true unity to the party and run as one?

Heck, if I can put away my feelings about Obama (and plenty of you know how much I dislike him), then so can everyone else.

:D

[virtualobserver]

26. I can support that ticket, but do you really think she wants it?

[Beacool]

34. I honestly don't know.

My point is that it should at least be offered. If she chooses not to take the job, then her supporters will probably be more inclined to support Obama. But, if we see that she's tossed aside or given a token sign of respect for appearances sake, we will not take it kindly.

[kennetha]

36. Second that emotion!

This is a test for Obama. A test of whether he even deserves our support!

[virtualobserver]

39. The vetting question offered below is an issue here. She would have to seriously want it..

to go through that process and Obama wouldn't offer it without it.

[virtualobserver]

7. ....he may be too small-minded, arrogant and fearful to see that?

jeez....

if hillary voters are willing to risk a McCain presidency, I hope they enjoy the hellish experience that it will be if it happens.

[Mimosa]

14. Will Hillary's supporters really be so bitter that they would take vengeance on everybody

Will Hillary's supporters really be so bitter that they would take vengeance on everybody by helping to elect McCain?

McCain presidency = worse economy, more war.

[Beacool]

24. Not bitter.

Just don't think the guy is ready to be president.

[kennetha]

25. totally agree with this sentiment

He is not ready. And he has been and will be further exposed as not ready. He'll take us down in flames in what should by all rights be our year! He's Dukakis II

[virtualobserver]

29. I liked Dukakis, but unlike him Obama hits back hard

Obama has defeated the Clinton machine......he will do the same to McCain.

[Mimosa]

53. Beacool, you need to do some serious thinking.

So McCain is a better choice for president than Obama in your opinion. You just said it. ICK.

You need to know that Obama has plenty of experienced capable smart advisors. he'd certainly choose a better cabinet than McCain would.

[Beacool]

87. Right now, I can't even stand to see him on TV

spewing his usual empty platitudes. I see him, I change the channel.

Too much stuff happened campaigning, his supporters are very young and some of the crap they pulled was outrageous (particularly in caucus states).

The only way I can even see voting for this guy is if he put his money where his mouth is and brought true "unity" to the party by offering the VP position to the person who won almost half of the Democratic votes. If there's no offer, then it just proves to me that he's the snake oil salesman that I take him to be up to this point.

I hope he proves me wrong.....

[juajen]

45. As we have told you repeatedly, the answer is YES.

O could have stopped his and his supporters' trashing of Hillary in an instant. Hillary's supporters are incensed and will not support him.

[Triana]

8. After hearing her the past week or so, I think the only thing she should accept is some paxil and...

... a very long vacation.

[democrattotheend]

13. The question I have is, would she be a team player if she were on the ticket?

The reason I worry about it, other than the high negatives that could scare away independents and disgruntled Republicans, is that I worry that if she is on his ticket, it may be in her interest for them to lose so that she gets another chance in 4 years. If he feels he can trust her then he should consider it, if she wants it. But that's a big if. The VP nominee should not be trying to overshadow the nominee and should offer input but ultimately defer to the nominee on strategy. If she can't do that then she should not be on the ticket.

One thing you should keep in mind, though, is that if she and her supporters decide to sit this out and let him go down, especially if she continues to do everything she can before dropping out to make Obama look illegitimate as she has been doing, Obama's supporters will fight to their death to keep her from getting another chance in 2012. I know I'm saving up money now to max out to both another Democrat running against her for the nomination and/or any Democrat who challenges her for her Senate seat should I feel she or her supporters did anything to sabotage Obama this year. So you're mistaken if you expect a coronation in 4 years if Obama loses.

[virtualobserver]

17. I'm worried more about Bill

[ruby slippers]

20. don't worry. he wants to run against Arnold for President of the World someday

[Beacool]

40. To tell you the truth,

I think that Bill is more interested in running his foundation than in playing third fiddle. He probably would love it if he was asked for advice or sent on some special mission, like he was sent by Bush during the tsunami. Other than that, I don't think that he would be interested in hanging around an Obama WH.

[ruby slippers]

42. to tell YOU the truth...Bill knew about the tsunami and was probably

part of the planning unit. No surprise there.

Ho hum....weather modification, et. al. Just part of the grand plan for NWO....

Tinfoil where are you? I've been reading this too long...
**********************************************************

Was HAARP active leading up to tsunami/earthquake? Sun Jan 16, 2005 11:54 pm


I find it quite interesting to hear of all of the reports from out of Indonesia, China, Australia, and Iran preceding the underwater quake on Dec. 26th 2004.

Witnesses labeled the "balls of fire", "earthshaking sounds" and "hovering colored lights" as UFO's- which I guess they technically were- Unidentified *flying* "objects".

For those familiar with Tesla's work however the descriptions sound so very similar to what one might experience in the presence of electromagnetic type of weapons beaming their energies into foreign air space.

Chemtrails were also reported to have been being applied in the region beforehand and one can see from pictures they are indeed present.

Witnesses there reported seeing and hearing and feeling the following leading up to the quake:

"dozens of witnesses claim they heard loud explosions after seeing the*object* leave a trail of fire"

"a stange shining object"

"earth shaking sounds like bombing"

"a shing ball with a three meter long trail flying from east to west"

"some reports of an earthquake"

"multi-colored lights which appear to hover in the sky"

"hovered in one place for at least two hours"
http://209.85.215.104/search?q=cache:0fhgKkZXKP0J:www.chemtrailcentral.com/forum/msg79426.html+tsunami+earthquake+haarp&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us

[MonkeyFunk]

75. We have the 911 forum

for insane, paranoid rambling regarding weather modification.

Please contain your insane paranoid ramblign here to politics.

[Beacool]

85. Good one!!

:rofl:

[virtualobserver]

44. It is just such a unique situation to have an ex-president married to the VP

I'm not saying that it can't work,....I just can't imagine what it would look like.

[MonkeyFunk]

83. Probably no different

from having an ex-president married to a US Senator.

She does her job, he has his own gig. There's never been a single accusation that Bill was inordinately involved in her Senate doings.

[Beacool]

84. Well, maybe it would be fun to find out.

Besides, what's wrong with having several extremely bright people working to achieve the same goal? The country in such dire shape right now that I say the more trying to solve its problems the merrier.

[Beacool]

33. Yes she would, you obviously don't know Hillary.

Hillary will work with anyone for the good of a cause. She earned the respect of the same Republicans who despised her as First Lady because she reached out to them and worked with them whenever possible. Both, Sam Brownback and Lindsey Graham, speak highly of her and Brownback even apologized to her for the terrible things that he had said about her and Bill. Hillary is the one who really has been a uniter in the senate and has worked with many of her colleagues across the aisle. She also won their respect by being consistently one of the most prepared senators on any given committee. Hillary is one of the senators most sought after to co-sponsor bills.

If she can work so well with colleagues from the other party, why wouldn't she work equally well with someone from her own party? Don't forget that she campaigned and fundraised for Obama when he was running for the senate. He also modeled his first year in office after hers and sought her advice on numerous occasions. Furthermore, she still has a picture of Obama and his family in her office, she never removed it.

[papapi]

15. Dream on Alice wonderland is just around the corner. She's finished...

Kaput. Done. Over. Toast. Washed-up. It's not gonna happen.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

18. Obama is vetting and requires disclosure, so Clintons aren't going to want it

they are aiming at 2012. Their goal now is to kneecap Obama so they can
say - see we told you he couldn't win.

His goal is to NOT let her kneecap him.

[virtualobserver]

19. I can't even imagine that vetting process

[democrattotheend]

21. I agree, and we need to do something about it

I wrote about this at Kos the other night...she is lying about the popular vote and carrying on about Michigan and Florida in hopes of making her supporters feel like she was unfairly denied the nomination. Of course, in the end she will endorse Obama and probably campaign for him, but it feels like she wants to leave her supporters as hardened as possible to create headaches for Obama trying to win them over.

[Ytzak]

27. If Obama thinks that having Hillary on the ticket will heal the rift, I trust his judgment.

If she thinks she can be the real Iron clad bitch who will rip the gonads of McCain's lying political arguments with her teeth, sure. If she can't be the meanest SOB in the valley, then she should tell Obama he needs another attack dog.

I loved John Edwards, but he just wasn't tough enough, and neither was Kerry, to win in 2004. So far Obama has made it his policy to take the high road, most of the time. He is going to need a mean attack dog to guard the low road because the low road is where the general election is going to be fought. If the VP candidate isn't willing to get dirty, than the VP candidate won't be worth a corn kernel on a Republican's ass.

[JeanGrey]

28. He is NOT GOING TO LOSE, that is utter and total nonsense.

He will win by a landslide, probably only dwarfed by Ronnie Raygun. If he is stupid enough to TAKE HER as VP, he could certainly lose then.

Right now, I'll be surprised if she can hold onto her senate seat for much longer.

[kennetha]

30. You're delusional.

He isn't gong to win in a landslide. If he wins, he barely wins. He isn't playing in the democratic primary anymore. He isn't appealing for the votes of latte liberals and starry-eyed dreamer who think that a "new politics" can be ushered in just by clicking your heels and repeating empty slogans to yourself.

There is, quite frankly, almost nothing to recommend an Obama presidency.

[virtualobserver]

41. you are delusional if you think that the current field of play will be the same in Nov.

The underpinnings of the economy are falling apart. Bush's approval rating will be in the single digits by Nov. and he will be an anchor around McCain's neck.

[Ytzak]

47. Those who cast the Votes, they decide nothing...

Those who count the votes, they decide everything.

- Joseph Stalin

[virtualobserver]

48. but you can only steal a close election

[Ytzak]

50. You can steal any election where you have access to the ballots...

Up until 2004 exit polls were considered dead on accurate, and they still are in any country where Republicans don't count the vote.

Any state with a Republiacn administration that counts the votes is suspect. Here in San Diego County, Dale Issa sent out a mailer with a questionaire to everyone in his district. The envelope said that all of the questionairs were serialized to the address and that people had to return them even if they don't fill them out. Could Issa be doing that so he can arrange to have the vote of anyone that does not return the mailer challaneged, or even purge those name off the voter lists. I can't think of any reason to send something to every registered voter in a district and have each one controled in that manner unless he wants to know the people that don't answer. Such accounting is expensive and unnecessary unless the data is important.

[virtualobserver]

51. I agree, but only to a point....If someone has a 30 point lead in the polls, you can't get away with

.........it.

[Ytzak]

88. Polls are not legal under the constitution as a method of election...

Only by counting the votes do we decide who won the election.

The repercussions of stealing an election with that large a vote margin could be severe; demonstrations, riots, even civil war. The President has American troops and contracts with Blackwater and other mercenaries if he needs to stop a revolt.

But if you control who counts the votes. If you control the media who reports the vote counting. If you are willing to face the consequences. If you have the contracts for a large, private mercenary army. If you want to keep the power.

The biggest obstacle I see is not the margin in the polls, it is the fact that we don't have national elections. We have 50 state elections with 50 different groups counting the votes in their own state. That makes the problem more difficult, not insurmountable.

I don't see a 30 point margin. If the margin in November is more than 5% I will be surprised. But at 3% margin nationwide would likely lead to a easy victory by Obama. A 5% margin would be a landslide on Reaganesque scale.

[JeanGrey]

89. Delusional? He got 75 THOUSAND

people in Oregon. She hasn't gotten that many in her last 10 appearances. He will win and he will win HANDILY. Watch and see.

[emilyg]

54. You're in for a shock in November.

[Secret_Society]

31. I think it's hers if she wants it

The VP is not chosen it is elected at the convention. RCP had a good article outlining why if she wants it it would be hard and ugly to deny it.

[MrSlayer]

32. No. And it shouldn't be offered.

She is an albatross. He does not need her to win.

[kennetha]

35. An Albatross who has kicked his tail in just about all the major states

that democrats need to win.

An Albatross who would be the nominee today, if we had winner take all primaries.

An Albatross who has won more total votes than him.

Yeah, right. He can barely hold a candle to her as a leader, as a legislator. He's done almost nothing, accomplished almost nothing. His entire candidacy was fueled by a speech against the war, given when there was no cost associated with his stance, no vote he had to take or defend.

Give me a break!

[Beacool]

43. Bravo!!!!!!!!!

I couldn't have said it better.

:applause:

[MrSlayer]

52. You mean you couldn't have made up shit better.

Like falsely claiming the popular vote lead and using the "If" scenarios. You guys are just salty because the rookie outplayed the champs and took the title.

[JTFrog]

60. BITCH! BRAV-F*CKING-O! I'm Series1!!!11111!!!!

[MrSlayer]

46. Hmm, if she is kicking so much "tail" why hasn't she got the delegates?

"If we had winner take all" means nothing since we do NOT have winner take all.

She has NOT won more votes.

She is DESPISED by nearly half the country and would weigh down the Obama candidacy with the droves and droves of disaffected Republicans and other RW extremist nuts who will stay home and let McCain lose otherwise. She would be an albatross to Obama.

[kennetha]

69. Obama's lead

comes almost entirely from anti-democratic caucuses where his young supporters and his privileged supporters can spend all day intimidating Hillary's older and less privileged supporters. It's the stalinist tactics deployed in the caucuses that put him over the top, not true democracy. In truly democratic contests, Hillary has been kicking his ass royally!

Plus Obama has been fighting like heck to keep Michigan and Florida from counting.

Barack Joe Stalin Obama!

[Beacool]

86. This is true.

where his young supporters and his privileged supporters can spend all day intimidating Hillary's older and less privileged supporters.

I met people from several caucus states while campaigning in PA and they had nightmare stories about Obama's crew in their states. Intimidation, purposedly sending her voters to the wrong location and much more.

[emilyg]

55. Cheers.

[Swamp Rat]

37. Let's ask Karl Rove what he thinks!

:dunce:

[MonkeyFunk]

38. sure!

They'd make an excellent team for November.

[quakerboy]

49. If offered, no she should not..

I hope that she has love of country. There is a reason that she is coming in second in the Democratic primary. It is because people have already decided about her, and they either like her or don't. Many of these judgments were made years ago, in fact, and changing minds en mass is not really in the cards at this time. A quarter or more of the Democratic party is soured on her. Independants and Republics have prejudged her. With that in mind, she is a GE problem with every demographic that is not her true base(as opposed to the "not that guy votes" that only picked her because they didn't have real third choice). She weighs down any GE ticket that does not include a credible "Ross Perot" type third option. If she loves the country, she will take the high road and use any influence to make sure that a better choice is the one on the ballot. Someone she believes shares her positive values for the countries future, but does not come with a many year history that has congealed in hearts and minds.

[boppers]

56. "First, without a serious reconciliation between Obama and Clinton supporters".... False Premise.

False premises lead to false conclusions.

He doesn't need to pander to them, and if he did, it would destroy his credibility. He can win with Democrats, he doesn't need to placate Hill-o-crats.

[MonkeyFunk]

65. It's a good thing DUers aren't advising Obama...

He needs Clinton's supporters - and he'll try to get them. To call that pandering is just stupid spin.

[kennetha]

67. It's more arrogant and delusional

than stupid. Many Obama supporters are like that, though. I hope for the party's sake that Obama himself doesn't suffer from the same arrogant self-delusion.

[MonkeyFunk]

76. I firmly believe Obama is better

than his supporters here.

It would be hard not to.

[Life Long Dem]

57. Dream another little dream.

"But with her base in tact and expanded in 2012". :rofl:

[shadowknows69]

58. More hateful flamebait from Hill supporters

Adminss, please make it stop.

[JTFrog]

59. BITCH! BRAV-F*CKING-O! OBAMA NEEDS HILL!!!

[Seabiscuit]

62. Should Barack accept a VP slot if offered?

[Tesha]

64. You're not allowed to be both President and Vice-President. (NT)

[Tesha]

63. It won't be offered. (NT)

[Perry Logan]

66. Why would she want to be part of a losing ticket?

[kennetha]

68. With her on it

It might not be a losing ticket. With her not on it, it is almost certainly a losing ticket.

The question is will Obama and his team realize this. Or are they trapped, like so many of his supporters, in the arrogant delusion that he doesn't need Clinton or her supporters to win this thing?

[susankh4]

70. No "shoulds" about it...

She would do it because she cares... about her country, and it's children.

[Orsino]

71. If I thought she would actually fight for a progressive cause...

...I'd be supporting her now. Her Senate seat is as safe as can be, so I'm not expecting her to turn liberal after all these years of corporatism.

But if she did, she could be my president.

[kennetha]

72. Let's see

Throwing her body on the line on behalf of universal health insurance doesn't count as fighting for progressive causes?

Since when?

Which, by the way, the insurance industry desperately opposes. How's that for being "corporate?"

Jeez.

And, oh, by the way, which of the two remaining candidates voted FOR the Bush-Cheney energy bill, which was nothing but a massive give away to the oil companies? Hint his initials are B.O.

[JTFrog]

80. Throwing her body on the line? JFC was their sniper fire in the White House and Senate too?

What kind of batshit crazy is camp Clinton selling today?

[Orsino]

82. Corporate-owned universal health care isn't progressive...

...even if many Americans would be better off for it. It's still corporatism.

I'm still waiting for a progressive candidate.

[Hola]

73. Will Clinton support Obama?

If Hillary is offered the VP slot, will she support Obamas positions and work for them in the senate and admin?

Will she support Obamas health care plan, or want to implement her own instead?

Will she follow Obama on FP - or want her own way there?

Will she cut ties with lobbyists and PACs - or will she continue with them?

[sfam]

74. Obama will be choosing his VP based on his fearful small-mindedness?

Hmm, no unsubstantiated assumptions governing this response, ey? So the real question you're asking is how can this truly wretched excuse for humanity bring himself to select someone who exceeds all demarcations for greatness as Hillary?

Gosh, tough question...I think I'll pass.

[Jamastiene]

77. No, she should not.

Clearly, Obama would rather have Richardson, Edwards, or some random homophobic Republican as his Veep. I think both he AND his supporters have made it abundantly clear that they hate her. It would have to be a joke if he "offered" her the Veep slot. She should not take the bait.

Let's look at reality here:
She will be blamed if he loses this general election either way. Whether she is the Veep and half of Obama's supporters from the primaries/caucuses decide not to support a ticket with Hillary on it because they hate her so much or she is not involved at all (less work for her to do, all for nothing), she'll be blamed for his loss in the general election. Either way, she gets blamed and called a bitch and other disparaging names for women by the Obama supporters.

Why should she work her ass off for people who hate her and her supporters? That would make no sense whatsoever.

No, she should not take it. She should wait for four years while Obama does nothing(he cannot POSSIBLY keep even half the promises he has made, for the record), then send him home in 2012.

[salguine]

78. Bad idea because...

It's a great thing that we've progressed far enough in this
country to where the American people may very well choose a
black man or a woman to be President. But if anyone thinks the
American people are going to choose a black man AND a woman,
they're deluding themselves. We're not that far yet.

I'm not saying that's right. I'm just saying get real. 

[graycem]

79. Hmm

So depending on how Clinton sizes up the real Obama, it just may be better for her (and for the party) to basically sit this one out.

It would be painful, in a way, to watch him go down in flames. And who knows what trouble a President McCain could cause.


First of all, if she is offered the spot, of course she should take it, it gives her the chance to run after serving as VP. She'd be in the best position of all in fact, who would really challenge the VP, or stand a real chance if they did?

Second of all, it won't be better for her or the party to "sit this one out" and that way of thinking is the exact thing that will prevent her from EVER winning the presidency. If she doesn't campaign vigorously for Obama, and it is perceived by his supporters that she didn't really put her all into helping get him elected, and he goes on to lose, it's insane to think people will not harbor resentment against her, and her supporters who preferred an Obama loss to McCain if they didn't get their candidate.

Just as everyone acknowledges he needs Hillary supporters, she will need his if she ever attempts to run again. So if she, and her supporters are looking forward to a Hillary 2012 run, they'd better give this one some long hard critical thinking, and predicting and/or facilitating an Obama loss will guarantee that Hillary would never be elected. Choose wisely, because if your aim is to shoot Obama in the foot, you will also be shooting Hillary's.

[saltpoint]

81. McCain enjoys the unearned status of "maverick" from mainstream media.

I wish they'd be more truthful but they aren't.

Many independents are drawn to "maverick" McCain.

Obama would draw more independents than McCain if he is the nominee, but if HClinton is the veep nom, the advantage tilts slightly back to McCain. She is regarded as 90s establishmentarianism and may actually repel many independents.

I think there are other choices he could make to lay claim to a larger % of independent voters.

John McCain can be easily painted as a war monger. Easily. There is footage by the mile of him advocating war and bloodshed. Obama's opposition to Bush's Iraq invasion is a key factor, IMO, in his frontrunner status. I don't see why he would willingly surrender that issue advantage. Why put McCain anywhere near equal footing when you already have a sharp, clear advantage in place?

Senator Clinton is broke. She doesn't bring a lot of practical advantages to the ticket, IMO. Her campaign has been poorly run in most respects, not the least of these cash management.

Finally, with HClinton you'd have the Big Dog ambling thru the corridors of power once again. It could be awkward. Not insurmountable, but awkward

I don't know what's going to happen. You might be right.

But I hope Obama's team urges him to consider the broader Democratic field with a view toward drawing as many independent voters as possible to the blue ticket.