Gotta Be Joe

The announcement is due in the few days - Barack's choice for VP.

Senator Barack Obama has all but settled on his choice for a running mate and set an elaborate rollout plan for his decision, beginning with an early morning alert to supporters, perhaps as soon as Wednesday morning, aides said.

Word is that Barack is playing it safe.

Obama's deliberations remain remarkably closely held. Aides said perhaps a half-dozen advisers were involved in the final discussions in an effort to enforce a command that Obama issued to staff members: that his decision not leak out until supporters are notified.

And that it will be one of three candidates.

Obama had not notified his choice — or any of those not selected — of his decision as of late Monday, advisers said. Going into the final days, Obama was said to be focused mainly on three candidates: Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia and Senator Joseph Biden Jr. of Delaware.

Kaine seems unlikely, since his lack of experience would make for an all inexperienced ticket. Evan Bayh is fine, but seems overly generic for anyone to applaud. Biden makes the most sense, because he's unconventional so that he doesn't seem to go against the brand, but he has a ton of experience and he's strong on foreign affairs, two things Barack gets a zero on.

Bayh's War Record

Can Evan Bayh be seriously considered as Barack's running mate? Considering that Bayh voted in favor of war with Iraq, it would seem unlikely.

Mr. Bayh, a cautious Indiana Democrat, acknowledged it had not been an easy
decision. “There is reluctance in my heart, as I know there is in the other senators, to contemplate the use of force,” Mr. Bayh said, adding that he concluded “we were
simply left with no other credible alternative to protect the safety and
well-being of the American people.”

If Barack is to adequately feign being an honest politician, how can Bayh be in the running?

Bayh was a popular two-term governor who could make Indiana, typically rock-solid Republican in presidential contests, a competitive state and appeal to blue-collar Democrats who have been slow to embrace Mr. Obama.

Is that all it takes for Barack to betray his anti-war supporters once again?

Mr. Bayh’s support of authorizing force in Iraq stands in sharp contrast to Mr.
Obama’s oft-stated view that he showed the good judgment to oppose the conflict
from the start. After his vote, Mr. Bayh in early 2003 joined Mr. McCain as an
honorary co-chairman of the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq, which made
regime change in Iraq its central cause.

How will the anti-war crowd feel about taking it to the chin again from Barack?

Eli Pariser, the executive director of the antiwar group MoveOn.org, said that Mr. Obama had a variety of factors to weigh in making a choice and that he was not ready to say that Mr. Bayh should be ruled out because of his views at the start of the war.
“We are not going to get into which particular person is good or bad,” Mr. Pariser said.

Once again, it's 'win at any cost' for the good government crowd.

Running Mate

No quick decisions on a running mate are pending for Barack.

Obama officials say privately it is unlikely a running mate will be selected
before the candidate returns from a week’s holiday in Hawaii, which starts this
Friday. That leaves about 10 days until the start of the Democratic party
convention in Denver.

And we're unlikely to hear about it in advance.

In spite of ever more feverish speculation about who Mr Obama is likely to
choose – Hillary Clinton having made a comeback in the past few days – the
decision is unlikely to be leaked.

No one will know outside of a small circle of friends.

In addition to Michelle Obama, the candidate’s inner circle consists of
just three people: David Axelrod, his senior strategist, David Plouffe, his
campaign manager, and Robert Gibbs, a senior adviser.

Is Barack telling the truth about his VP short list being based on who would best serve the country? Not according to campaign insiders.

Each is deemed capable of helping to neutralise one or more of Mr Obama’s
perceived weaknesses: inexperience, lack of national security credentials, the
perception that he is aloof and his poor record of winning over blue-collar
voters in swing states of the rust belt.

Are you surprised?

All are evaluated principally on their ability to help Mr Obama win in
November, as opposed to the contributions they might make to an
administration.