Who's the Veep?

UPDATE: Boy, I missed the GOP pick. McCain picks Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska. Brilliant choice.

Veep speculation is going on at a frantic pace on all the news and political sites, with one site proclaiming that he/she has heard that Person A is the choice while another site proclaims that Person B is the choice. In reality, very few people really know anything and they're not talking.

So, before the actual announcements are made, here's my take on some of the candidates who are being offered as possible choices. First, for Vice-Messiah:

• Sen. Hillary Clinton - The only choice that has a chance of actually unifying the Dem party and the scariest choice for the GOP. She brings a lot of positives in the form of a motivated supporter base, but also tremendous negatives, not the least of which is Bill. She'd be risky for Obama in the sense that she'd try to overshadow the nominee, and he'd have to add food-tasters to his campaign staff. UPDATE: This reports says Hillary was never even vetted, never met with the VP search team of Eric Holder and Caroline Kennedy, and was never asked for a single document. The notion that Obama didn't even give Hillary the courtesy of a look will cause Hillary supporters to go ballistic.
• Gov. Kathleen Sebelius - Not a chance. Obama doesn't dare pick a woman other than Hillary. He would face a revolt of epic proportions. UPDATE: Based on the item above, let the revolution begin!
• Sen. Joe Biden - God's gift to the GOP. There's a wealth of sound bites in Biden's past that would be easy fodder for talk radio, and the way he treated Clarence Thomas during his confirmation hearings (check this out) would remind voters that he's not a very nice or particularly honest guy. He's in love with the sound of his own voice.
• Gov. Tim Kaine - Only candidate discussed with less experience than Obama. He's popular in Virginia, but I don't think he helps the ticket otherwise.
• Sen. Evan Bayh - The "do no harm" choice. Decent guy, knowledgable on foreign policy issues, but otherwise rather bland. The "Obama-Bayh" bumperstickers would undoubtedly give rise to "Obama-Bye" imitations.
• Sen. John Kerry - Don't make me laugh.
• Al Gore - Too much ego in one package. Would bring back lots of painful memories of Florida 2000.
• Rep. Chet Edwards (TX) - I'll join all of America in saying "Who??". Whoever he is, he won't carry Texas for Obama, and he's apparently a favorite of Nancy Pelosi. That won't help either, and it makes it pretty clear that San Fran Nan still wants to be the top chick in Washington when this election is over.

UPDATE: It's Biden. Oh goody, goody, goody...

And now, for John McCain:

• Mitt Romney - Mormon, recent convert to conservatism, not particularly liked by McCain. Could help the ticket in Michigan, an important state. I'm not sure he'd do much to inspire conservatives.
• Gov. Bobby Jindal - Great guy, very talented and sharp as a dagger. However, this is not his year. Give it another eight years as a successful governor and he'd be perfect for the top of the ticket.
• Gov. Tom Ridge - Pro-choice, bland, wears hearing aids. Won't exactly change the impression of the GOP ticket as old. The pro-choice thing is a deal-killer for conservative Christians.
• Sen. Joe Lieberman - Good on the war, but liberal on everything else. A reliable vote for Harry Reid (in Reid's own words) and a death sentence for the McCain campaign.
• Gov. Tim Pawlenty - Sharp guy, comes from a state that the GOP would like to win. I'm not real sure how well he compliments the ticket other than he significantly reduces the average age.
• Rep. Eric Cantor (OH) - Good conservative, could help in Ohio. Probably not well known around the country, but a very likeable and sharp young guy.

I'm sure a wildcard pick by either candidate is still possible. Stay tuned. You can be pretty sure that no VP will be announced by Obama until Rush's show ends at noon PDT.