Don't Expect a Hillary/Obama or Obama/Hillary Ticket

Although such political luminaries as Newt Gingrich are expecting either a Hillary/Obama or Obama/Hillary ticket this fall, Maureen Down doesn't think that's going to happen:

Suddenly, everyone was in the mood for love. Would the scream team turn into the dream team?

After Thursday’s Democratic debate, CNN’s Carol Costello said there were “heart palpitations” and “ripples of joy” in the glittery Kodak Theater audience at the idea of a Hillary-Obama or Obama-Hillary ticket, after he was gallant with her and she laughed gaily with him.

How could Hollywood not fall in love with Hollywood’s favorite plot? After lots of sparking and sparring, the couple falls into each other’s arms in the last scene.

The would-be matchmakers didn’t seem to know that in Hollywood, couples who have chemistry on screen often don’t like each other off screen, and ones who are involved off screen often don’t have any chemistry on screen.

And so it is with Barack and Hillary. Thursday night was not the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Just a beautiful, dare we say, fairy tale.

Hillary is done with playing a supporting role to a political natural. And why would Obama want to follow in the frustrated footsteps of Al Gore, who became Bill Clinton’s vice president only to find that the job was already taken by Hillary? Think about being third banana to Billary? There won’t be any Dick Cheney-style coup in Hillary’s White House.

“Can you imagine being in that position?” a member of Team Obama said tartly. “Well, neither can he. It’s just part of their campaign to marginalize him. I think they’re pushing every freaking button they can right now.”

I would tend to agree. I posted the other day that I couldn't see any way Hillary would accept the second spot. She'll just go back to the Senate and take Harry Reid's job away. Obama, however, might be tempted by a VP role, but if he's smart, he'll run the other way. Serving four or eight years as Hillary's VP would be the same as locking himself in the basement. He'd be the invisible man, and that's not a good way to position himself for the future.