I couldn't care less who Obama picks for VP. He lost me when he grovelled at the AIPAC conference endorsing the policies of the Likud and Kadima parties, showed that he is willing to sell America down the river to the religious right with a continuation of Bush's faith-based initiatives, and agreed to the new version of FISA with its immunity provisions for corporations that violated the law. Unless it looks like McCain has a chance to win in Oregon, I'll vote again for Ralph Nader. I despise McCain but only have contempt for Obama, which is another way of saying Obama is the lesser of two evils. The only real difference between the two is what they are likely to do to the supreme (?) court.

Change? What change?

When i put in the things i think are important it always ends up Wes Clark.

I only find this interesting due to the fact he was already who i was supporting for VP (okay actually i wanted him as pres, but this is the next best thing).

A view from The Independent (UK) on Obama and flip-flopping. Ends with a choice comment on McCain's changing positions.

You Oregonians don't live in a swing state. It would be a shocker if McCain won in your neck of the woods. (Though admittedly not as bizarre as if he won here in Maryland.)

I'm pretty sure that Kulongoski's a Republican... at least I get that sense from his recent terms!

Well, considering that a few weeks ago Peter Bray was telling anyone who would listen that Tibet had been "liberated" by the Chinese People's Liberation Army, I'm going to take his Kulongoski = Republican characterization with an entire pound or two or salt.

Jamais Vu: Read my statement again. I said I would vote for Nader as long as McCain didn't have a chance in Oregon. If McCain threatens Obama in Oregon, then I'll hold my nose as I did with Kerry and vote for your so-called left-leaning candidate who is scurrying as far to the right as he feels is necessary.

What kind of lefty is Obama if he engaged in talks to win over Hillary's big-money backers? He's no dummy so he couldn't have had any delusions about their being philanthropists.

A candidate who seeks to get the votes of any and all groups stands for nothing.

Change? What change?

Okay... so this thread seems to already be bringing out the crazies.

Anyway, Ted --the democrat-- would be a great person for the job, and someone that I'd trust to be conscientious and committed to doing good for the public. Needless to say, he hasn't got a chance, being an unknown Governor from a small state nobody cares about. (If Obama really really wanted an unknown western governor, Gary Locke would be a way better choice.)

The person I've been thinking about more and more is Bob Graham. He's a former Governor and Senator from a key swing state, with a national security background, plus he was outspoken in opposition to the war right from the beginning.

Plus, I guess I like the guy. Many's the time he's come off like a ray of sanity amid the usual talk show lunacy.

John

How in the hell can Kulongoski be a "political outsider" when he vehemently endorsed the democratic party's establishment candidate--Hillary Clinton--for the nomination? Ted is a democratic party establishment political insider just like Rendell, Strickland, Vilsack, et al. This is another example of ignorant pundits not knowing a damn thing about Oregon.

John Mulvey suggests former Florida Senator Bob Graham. He would've been a great choice 4 or 8 years ago. But he's now 72.

What kind of lefty is Obama if he engaged in talks to win over Hillary's big-money backers? He's no dummy so he couldn't have had any delusions about their being philanthropists.

One that wants to beat McCain to make our society better and realizes he needs more money to combat the right wing hit machine that has already started spinning it's wheels to mischaracterize him. I'd take their money too.

Kulongoski as a veep candidate is laughable. Almost as laughable as people who vote for a guy like Nader.

Interesting -- I hadn't even heard his name whispered as a possibility to this point but there is always room for surprises.

Interesting -- I hadn't even heard his name whispered as a possibility to this point but there is always room for surprises.

One that wants to beat McCain to make our society better and realizes he needs more money to combat the right wing hit machine that has already started spinning it's wheels to mischaracterize him. I'd take their money too.

And, what would you give them in exchange for their money? What do you think Obama promised to do for his well-heeled financiers? Make our society better or their corporations more profitable?

I'm guessing the whole political mentor/child sex "affair" that you adamantly denied hearing anything about might be a deal killer on the ol' FBI background check.

The FBI still believes in polygraphs.

Crazy Maurer writes: "I remind all crazies reading this that the world is not black and white."

and then....

doretta puts that Crazy in his place:

"Hmmm.... Bill Clinton picked Senator Al Gore. Worked for him."

<h2>He said "another senator". The suggestion was that it doesn't work for a presidential candidate who is a senator to have another senator for VP. Bill Clinton wasn't a senator. Barack Obama is.</h2>

Very well said, doretta. Nice and slow.

I'm guessing that Mannix wasn't appointed Insurance Commissioner by Goldie, didn't serve as A.G., and didn't return the favor and appoint a child rapist to the Oregon Board of Higher Education when he was Governor.

I also doubt that Teddy K. would be willing to lie to the FBI, which makes refuting the "of course he knew" allegations a whole lot harder.

Plus, nobody east of Boise has ever heard of him.

Otherwise, I think he'd make a fine Vice President, and would probably smile better than Cheney when he lies. He's certainly very accustomed to attending funerals.

Kulongoski is so lack-luster as a veep running mate he would have the great virtue of making any prez candidate look good by comparison.

Oh my writes: "He's certainly very accustomed to attending funerals".

To this I want to express my deepest respect and admiration to Gov. Ted. He is a giant for his faithful attendance at the funerals of Oregon's fallen sons and daughters. I hate to ruin my praise of Ted with comments about gutless draft dodging republicans at the highest level who don't attend or acknowledge these fallen citizens but these spineless disrespectful bastards know who they are.

Thanks Gov. Ted for all you have done for our fallen troops.

It is silly to make pronouncements on what immediate prior experience a VP candidate should have depending on the immediate prior experience of the Presidential candidate. The sample set is so small and the "current job" effect is so unimportant compared to other things that there is no real lesson to be learned. However, if we throw logic to the wind for a moment, a quick look at recent senators who ran for President shows us that if a senator runs for President, the only way he can possibly win is if he chooses another Senator as his running mate -- as Kennedy wisely did in 1960.

Observe:

Pres. Cand./VP Cand. Job/Won(Lost)

Sen. Kerry/Sentor/Lost Sen. Dole/Cabinet Secretary/Lost Sen. McGovern/Ambassador/Lost Sen. Goldwater/RNC Chair/Lost Sen. Kennedy/Senator/Won

In fact, you have to go back to Senator Warren G. Harding's run in 1920 to find a senator who chose a non-senator as a running mate and still managed to win.

Of course, this is all silly. Whether a Presidential candidate wins has almost nothing to do with the last job held by the VP candidate.

Like someone else above, I think Wes Clark offers the best resume. It's not enough just to be a veteran, and if Clark were chosen, he would beat the Republican PRESIDENTIAL candidate hands down in military and national security experience. Obama needs someone very strong in these areas, and Clark would complete the expertise circle with Obama being heads above McCain on legal and economic issues. I know some are saying that Clark is out of the picture because of the media misrepresentation of his remarks on McCain's credentials for commander-in-chief (as well as because of McCain blowing them out of proportion), but I e-mailed the Obama campaign that when you have McCain calling for Obama to repudiate and cut Gen. Clark loose, you know that Clark is the one the GOP wants least in the vp slot.

As for Kulongowski being a "swing state" Oregonian, Kari, I don't know about others, but I often get bashed on other blogs and in newspapers just for being an Oregonian. We are perceived by many as being a too liberal state. I've lived here for 26 years and love Oregon's liberal ways, but I want Obama to defeat McCain more than anything and have to say that not many states are going to be influenced by the vp coming from Oregon.

And, what would you give them in exchange for their money? What do you think Obama promised to do for his well-heeled financiers? Make our society better or their corporations more profitable?

Oh wow...yeah all that money Hillary took from EMILY'S list really sucks doesn't it. I mean, that was her top donor. Goldman Sachs is like...notorious for giving money to Democrats. They might as well be Karl Rove in disguise right. We all know the evils of Microsoft. God those softies up North in Redmond are pretty much the devil right Bill?

It's pretty horrible these days to take a bit of money from a financial corporation, a software company and a group to elect progressive pro-choice women. It's pretty much like taking a bunch of money from Exxon and King Coal right?

Hold on...I've got to go find the world's tiniest violin to play for you.

Except that there are no swing states on the Pacific coast. McCain has Alaska, and Obama has the other four, the only question is by how much.

The most important swing states are Ohio, Missouri, Nevada, Colorado and Virginia. Seems to me the VP should come from one of those states, or maybe a large GOP-leaning state like Florida, North Carolina or Indiana where Obama wants to make a bold play for some extra EVs.

I'd love to see Oregon get the attention, but really, it would be a wasted opportunity.

But he's now 72.

Emily: When I find my bifocals and finish my metamucil, I'm going to shake my stick at you for that comment!

72's not that old these days. Age only becomes a factor if you view the VP job as a grooming a successor for President in 8 years, and I'll grant that 80 is too old for a run.

But of all the factors Obama should be considering, grooming a successor seems a low priority to me. The right older nominee could win him votes among some of the demographics he's had trouble with and could add that ill-defined "gravitas" people are always looking for.

John

Except that there are no swing states on the Pacific coast. McCain has Alaska, and Obama has the other four, the only question is by how much.

Alaska is in play actually according to every poll I've seen.

1. Oregon is and never was a swing state. Solid blue.
2. Ted sold us out by appearing with Smith so that he could appear to be moderate in his ads.
3. Ted has is too sweet, too centrist, and adds nothing to the ticket. Could never hold his own in a debate with these creeps.

I tried the program and was hopeful, but in the end, I came up with "no matches." That sounds like my political criteria in a nutshell. Too bad Steve Novick was not on the list.

Interestingly, though, when I added "Mid-Atlantic" I came up with a whole slew of corrupt, dead beat Rendellacrats. Is there a chance that Slate is a little "East Centric"? Is it me or does paying attention to Western politics just come off as a bothersome nuisance for the majority of media outlets?

Unless Obama screws up royally - perhaps by alienating his activist base by moving too far right - he will beat McCain. My greatest concern is that he will suffer the fate of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. To minimize that risk and to put a westerner on the ticket, there is only one answer:

Our next vice-president

My guess is that his strong support of Hillary and his appearance with McCain in May wouldn't enhance the Gov's position even if he were under consideration. He does have a very compelling life story, though, and could help with the ethnic Catholic vote where Obama is weak.

Kulongoski might help Obama secure Oregon and help in Washington, but probably not much else.

If being a congresswoman of color is all it takes, why not Laura Richardson?

If her recent mortage history is any guide, she would certainly enjoy living at the Naval Observatory for free.

<h2>Kulongoski is the ultimate Oregon political insider. He has been a lackluster governor, so why would he be a good VP candidate? On the issues that I am conversant with, he has been a lousy administrator and his decisions have been greatly influenced by campaign contributions, not integrity or substance. He endorsed Hillary early because he thought she was a sure winner and he was hoping for a cabinet appointment.</h2>