Yes, Vice President Gary Hart

Now, this is interesting.

John McCain's ad man, Mark McKinnon, has done a terrific job with his boss's campaign. But loyalty has its limits. Last night, McKinnon reiterated to NPR that he's going to quit if Barack Obama gets the Democratic nomination.

"I would simply be uncomfortable being in a campaign that would be inevitably attacking Barack Obama. It would be bad for me, and it would be bad for the McCain campaign."

Bad for McCain to attack his opponent? For all the wildly overrated impact of the "Swift Boating" of John Kerry, Bush's campaign beat Kerry's by picking, twisting, and ridiculing Kerry's words to serve one coherent message -- that Kerry didn't have the balls to confront terrorism. So how could any candidate run against Obama if attacking him would be "bad for their campaign"?

The right-wing fringe of the GOP, already convinced of McCain's Marxist leanings, is seeing McKinnon's Obama sympathies as more evidence that the McCain campaign is actually a liberal conspiracy.

"This validates everything that those of us who have reservations about McCain have been saying,” Weyrich said.

"It's unfortunate that this exposé did not come out earlier. Had the public known about the McCain-Soros connection and the support McCain's ad guru has expressed for Obama, in all probability McCain would not today be the presumptive presidential nominee of the Republican Party," he said.

Remember, we will see a marginally competitive third-party candidate from the right this fall. He will get more votes than Nader did in 2000.

***

But who will be the Vice Presidential nominees?

Assumptions:

• The prediction markets are all wrong (see right)
• Both will be white men. With either a woman or black man at the top of the ticket, the Dems don't have the guts for "double diversity." And the Republicans just don't have an appealing woman or minority ready to go
• Bill Richardson: out. See above
• The media has already deemed Obama/Clinton or Clinton/Obama to be "the dream ticket." No way is this going to happen; it's only the figment of an unimaginative punditocracy. The Democrats already tried the "second-runner" tactic in 2004, which is also why John Edwards is a non-starter this time
• Similarly, pulling Huckabee onto McCain's ticket would be an astonishingly dumb move, since both are distrusted by the economic/tax half of the conservative coalition. That's not to say McCain wouldn't be dumb enough to do it
• The ideal candidate for Obama will be a older white guy from the west with a history of bi-partisanship and national security experience. The ideal for Hillary will be a white guy from the west or south with military experience. The ideal for McCain will be a white religious conservative with an unassailable anti-tax record. And because of McCain's age, readiness will be key. (That means no Dan Quayles.)

All up, here are my predictions:

McCain: Charlie Crist
Obama: Gary Hart
Clinton: Wes Clark

Comments

[Josh]

I don't think Crist is particularly well beloved by the religious right. He's suposed to be secrety gay, too, which could be a A Problem.

Whisper I've heard for potential Obama veep: Montana gov. Brian Schweitzer. I think Clark would be a good veep for either him or Hills.

[Auguste]

I think Jim Webb of Viringia has a shot as an Obama running mate. White guy? Check. He even wrote a book about his fellow Scotch-Irish. Bipartisanship? Check. He used to be a Republican. National security credentials? Check. He served in the Reagan Administration Defense Dept. And Virginia is becoming a purple state. Although it hasn't gone Dem in a Presidential election in a long time, the state demographics, as you know well, have changed dramatically.

[Podgers]

If Obama makes it out of the nomination fight, and if Gary Hart is his running mate, I will pay little Seamus' college tuition.... and eat my hat... and shout your brilliance to the rooftops. It ain't gonna happen.

[jjm]

Colin Powell.

[Chris]

I agree with this...
"The ideal candidate for Obama will be a older white guy from the west with a history of bi-partisanship and national security experience."

But do not think that equals Gary Hart. Yes it checks boxes, but he's just from a different time with a lot of baggage. And I rather rehash the Clinton scandals than Gary Hart's scandals in the general election.

I was looking at the winners - or lack there of - on the Senate Foregin Relations Comittee. No obvious chocies.

Joseph Biden

Christopher J. Dodd
Connecticut

John F. Kerry
Massachusetts

Russell D. Feingold
Wisconsin

Barbara Boxer
California

Bill Nelson
Florida

Barack Obama
Illinois

Robert Menendez
New Jersey

Benjamin L. Cardin
Maryland

Robert P. Casey Jr.
Pennsylvania

Jim Webb
Virginia

[chris]

I will split tuition with the following...

Posted by: Podgers

If Obama makes it out of the nomination fight, and if Gary Hart is his running mate, I will pay little Seamus' college tuition.... and eat my hat... and shout your brilliance to the rooftops. It ain't gonna happen.

[Anaxamander]

I've mentioned gary hart as his running mate also. It's outside teh box, but I think it could work. Still, Jim Webb or Wes Clark might be better.