Prayers for Nunn

Barack Obama has decided, apparently, that having a ticket with a combined six years experience in the U.S. Senate isn't for him, as Jim Webb announced yesterday that he's out of VP sweepstakes.

In a statement, Webb said he wanted to use his "efforts and talents" in the Senate to work for such issues as the expansion of education benefits for veterans recently enacted by Congress with his prodding. But he also promised to "proudly campaign" for the Illinois senator.

One of Barack's criteria is that his choice for VP be qualified to be President - that made Webb a questionable pick. So, then, who? Jonathan Alter at Newsweek argues for Sam Nunn.

On the stump, Nunn wouldn't be exciting, but he doesn't have to be. The Democrats have plenty of excitement at the top of the ticket. In fact, it's exactly Nunn's dull and staid persona that could help voters leery of too much change overcome their misgivings about Obama. He's white, Southern and comfortable.

Alter reminds us that voters remain unconvinced of Barack's readiness for the job. Ultimately, he's still not found a way to attract mainstream Americans, who are wary of Democrats to begin with. General Elections are fought over real voters, not fringe special interest voters.

They are fought over independents and moderate swing voters, who would like Nunn. Above all, he would help lift his party's presidential nominee over the threshold of credibility that, for all the positive polls for Democrats, still stands between Barack Hussein Obama and the presidency.

What Alter does not focus on is the fact that polls indicate Georgia is close enough that Nunn could swing that state over to the Democrats, especially with native Bob Barr running as a libertarian.