Barack Obama Vice Presidential Choice Certain to Cause Controversy
Many avid Hillary Clinton supporters are desperate to see their former presidential candidate chosen by Barack Obama for the vice presidential spot—and may revolt further if she doesn’t land the job. Other possible choices for the position will also likely stir up backlash, no matter if it ends up being Texas congressman Chet Edwards, Delaware Senator Joe Biden, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius or any of the other potential running mates bandied about in the public forum.

Many avid Hillary Clinton supporters are desperate to see their former presidential candidate chosen by Barack Obama for the vice presidential spot—and may revolt further if she doesn’t land the job.

Other possible choices for the position will also likely stir up backlash, no matter if it ends up being Texas congressman Chet Edwards, Delaware Senator Joe Biden, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius or any of the other potential running mates bandied about in the public forum.

Regardless of who Barack Obama announces as his pick for the Democratic vice presidential candidate, none of the choices is going to make his supporters—or opponents—entirely happy.

While the logical choice based on her continued strong support might seem to be his former rival, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, choosing her as his running mate would come with a host of perils and is increasingly unlikely to happen.

Considering that Clinton nearly took the Democratic nomination herself—and might have done so, if not for the Michigan and Florida debacles—having her on the ticket seems almost like a total formula for victory over John McCain in November. Especially since no few former Clinton supporters have vowed to vote for McCain over Obama in the coming election. Yet, many political analysts believe Clinton has never truly been in the running to be Obama’s ticket mate. Clinton’s campaign has even come out directly to say that she has never been officially vetted for the job.

Some pundits theorize an Obama/Clinton ticket would diminish Obama’s shine as a leading man in the presidential race. With such a strong personality standing beside him, backed by a huge support base, Obama might just find himself pushed to the side more than he would be comfortable with. In addition, Clinton’s political baggage, which includes former President Bill Clinton, might water down Obama’s message of “change” in Washington.

On the other hand, dismissing Clinton as the most likely person to give him an edge in the votes over John McCain could be a disastrous move. None of the other potential candidates for the position have near the loyalty and rabid support Clinton reveled in during the presidential primaries. And all of them certainly have as many faults and potential pitfalls.

The strongest other possibility for the job has already been weeded out of the race by his own hand—John Edwards. An Obama/Edwards ticket might just have been the answer to pull in some former Clinton supporters who are wavering in their faith in the Democratic Party.

After all, Edwards and Clinton share many of the same demographics among likely voters. Edwards also had strong support in the presidential primaries and a powerful base of backers. But Edwards' admission recently that he cheated on his wife with a former staffer have likely dashed all hopes of his political career ever being revived.

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Representative Chet Edwards, one of the most talked about possibilities in the few hours remaining before Obama’s official announcement of his choice, seems a pale pick compared to Clinton or John Edwards. Although a well-known Democratic congressional representative in Texas, Chet Edwards has little national recognition among voters. Choosing him would be tantamount to choosing virtually any cookie-cutter Democratic running mate—putting the full spotlight on Obama to carry the ticket to victory in November.

Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas might be a strong choice to help bring over female voters who were disappointed in Clinton’s loss. The second female governor of Kansas, Sebelius was previously identified as a possible running mate for John Kerry during the 2004 election. Her lengthy political experience, ability to work across party lines and more nationally recognized name might serve to balance out Obama’s ticket better than a lesser known politician such as Edwards.

However, Sebelius’ main attractions may also be her largest drawbacks. If Obama is interested in a politically experienced female running mate, some wonder, why would he not choose Clinton? After all, Clinton has already demonstrated she can draw big numbers in the polls, while Sebelius has never competed at the national level.

Another governor in the mix, Joe Biden of Delaware, could also be a healthy possibility for Obama. Biden’s foreign policy experience and political savvy might serve to bolster Obama in two areas in which he is perceived as weak. However, Biden does not necessarily inspire excitement among voters and seems unlikely to be able to sway McCain supporters (some of them former Clinton supporters) back to the Democratic Party.

Other names under consideration include Senator Evan Bayh, retired General Wesley Clark, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell and Texas Representative Chet Reed, among others. On the surface, however, none of these possibilities seem likely to be able to demonstrate the same nationwide, powerful support that could be generated by a Hillary Clinton pick. In combination with Obama’s rabid backers, the numbers seem to indicate that an Obama/Clinton ticket would be the best choice to get the most voters to the polls in support of the Democratic Party in November.

Even if she may be considered little more than a ‘dark horse’ candidate at this point, many Clinton supporters are still desperately hoping that Obama comes up with the same conclusion.

Barack Obama and his vice presidential choice, whoever he or she may be, are scheduled to hold a rally in Springfield, Illinois on Saturday—the same place where Obama originally announced his intention to run for president. Obama is expected to make the official announcement of his pick via an email to his supporters as early as Friday afternoon.

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