Sunday, August 17, 2008
Obama's VEEP criteria: Looking for another Cheney
If you believe that Barack Obama is a great natural leader with no actual experience, it is presumably good news that he is looking for a Vice President who will play a substantive role in his administration:
Obama, 47, has said he does not want merely a ceremonial vice president, but is seeking an integral cog in his governing machine.
"I'm not interested in a vice president who I send off to go to funerals," he told NBC television last month. "I want somebody who is going to roll up their sleeves and be willing to work."
That's Dick Cheney! Why not just pick the original?
I kill me.
The trick, of course, is to find somebody who is both effective in a "chief operating officer" role and who does not aspire to the top job. But for that second requirement, Hillary Clinton would be perfect.
3 Comments:
By 
, at
Sun Aug 17, 11:57:00 PM:
There is absolutely no question that Hussein's selection for Vice President HAS to be JANE FONDA!! Only Jane can truly represent Hussein's vision for America.
By , at
Mon Aug 18, 07:13:00 AM:
The only instance in which Hillary was given the opportunity to be an effective executive, she botched it big time.
She therefore fails on both counts.
JLW III
By , at
Mon Aug 18, 10:44:00 PM:
I doubt if Hilary Clinton would accept an offer to be Obama’s running mate. I assume she still wants to be president and will do what will maximize her chances of that happening someday.
If she runs with Obama, the only way she can become president is if he wins and then dies or becomes incapacitated while in office. Call this Scenario A. I assume if she is Obama’s running mate and they lose, the chances of either to become president thereafter are essentially zero.
If she does not run with Obama and he loses, she can become president by getting the Democratic nomination in 2012 and winning that November. Call this Scenario B.
I think Scenario B is more likely than Scenario A. To put some numbers on this:
I would estimate the probability of Scenario A at 60% (more or less the current Intrade odds of Obama winning) x 5% (a wild guess) = 3%
I would estimate the probability of Scenario B at 40% (dictate by the 60% above) x 50% (why not?) x 50% (again, why not?) = 10%
So if any of this makes sense, the chances of Hilary Clinton becoming president someday are not good, but her chances are best if she does not accept an offer by Obama to become his vice-president.
