And the Vice President should be … (Dem)

The NBA Finals have shifted to LA and the Red Sox are quietly opening their lead on the Yankees in the AL East (no offense, Tampa, but you’re not the measuring stick yet). The “Lost” season finale is weeks behind us, and there’s no definitive word on when the new season of “Flight of the Conchords” will begin. So other than worrying when all of the C’s “Big Three” will click on the same night, there’s one big parlor game to occupy our time:

Who will Obama pick as his VP Candidate? And who should he pick? This post addresses the latter.

There have been a few developments of late: Senator Burns revealed that Obama’s search team was looking at as many as 20 candidates; John Edwards and Ted Strickland struck themselves unambiguously from consideration, and; potential options like Wes Clark and Joe Biden have taken to the microphone to attack John McCain.

With that, here’s version 1.0 of “Who Obama should pick“:

20. Anthony Zinni – retired Marine General and head of CENTCOM from 1997 to 2000. Author and critic of the Bush Administration’s handling of the War on Terror. No political experience.

19. Tom Daschle – former Senator from South Dakota. Major Obama supporter and former Majority Leader. But lost his seat to John Thune. Wouldn’t bring SD.

18. Mike Easley – Governor of North Carolina. Well-liked southern governor of a red state. Now best known as “the guy Obama did the fist-pound with” in the video circulated as a counter to E.D. Hill’s appalling insinuation on Fox News. Easley could move up this list.

17. William Cohen – former (Republican) Senator from Maine and Secretary of Defense under Clinton. This pick bolsters both the National Security and post-partisan positions. Disadvantages: from Maine, has a somewhat Brahmen New England accent.

16. Chris Dodd – Senator from Connecticut. Word is that he and Obama get along well. Dodd brings significant Senate experience in foreign policy, banking and business. Eloquent speaker who is also fluent in Spanish. Disadvantages: CT is blue anyway. Career Senator, so no “new politics cred.” Easier to tab as “Northeastern liberal elitist.”

15. Wesley Clark – retired four-star General and NATO Commander. Brings instant cred on foreign policy and would be an able attack dog against McCain. Hails from Arkansas and has close Clinton ties. The right age (Boomer), but would be McCain’s age now in 2016. Disadvantages: his early dismissal from command in Kosovo raises questions. Word is that he advocated holding the Pristina airport against the Russians, even if it meant the use of force. His campaign in 2004 was not well-organized, but it also started late. May not bring a specific state.

14. Hillary Clinton – Senator from New York. The advantages are obvious, but so are the draw-backs: would compete with Obama for attention and dominance. The clincher is President Clinton; there is simply too much baggage and potential for disaster. If Bill were somehow no longer in the picture, she might be #1 or #2 on this list. In fact, she might be the nominee. Hard to say. Her presence on the ticket would likely spur GOP turnout and energy.

13. Bob Kerrey – former Senator and Governor from Nebraska. Executive and foreign policy experience. Navy SEaL during Vietnam and winner of the Medal of Honor, his record balances McCain’s, but … Disadvantages: he was present for an attack on a village that left a number of women and children dead and for which he expresses regret. Wouldn’t bring NE. Seems happy as President of the New School in NYC.

12. Janet Napolitano – Governor of Arizona. Popular governor of what might otherwise be a swing state (but not with McCain running). Firm stance on border control a plus or minus, depending on the market.

11. Phil Bredesen – Governor of Tennessee. Affable, outside Washington Dem governor of a red state. Could help in the TN-WV-VA-OH-PA area. Disadvantages: not well known, won’t bring state, no foreign policy exp.

10. Evan Bayh – Senator and former Governor of Indiana. Great resumé as governor and senator. Foreign policy and intelligence committee cred. Straight out of central casting. Long considered a Presidential contender. A strong Clinton-ite who might help heal the divide. May help in Ohio and PA. Disadvantages: dull on the stump. Indiana too red to turn.

9. Bill Richardson – Governor of New Mexico. Resumé as long as your arm. Deep foreign policy exp., has negotiated with world leaders and was Ambassador to the U.N. Former Energy Secretary (see disadvantages). Very popular and influential in what could be an important swing state. Speaks fluent Spanish and is of half-Mexican descent, so might help with that demographic. Disadvantages: weak debater and mediocre campaigner outside of NM. The Los Alamos security leak was under his watch as Energy Secretary. Kerry insiders suggest he didn’t pass vetting in 2004 for VP, because of women-issues. Like Biden, if he’s not VP, he’ll be #1 or #2 in line for Secretary of State.

8. Tim Kaine – Governor of Virginia. Popular Governor of ever-more-purple state. If he can bring Virginia it changes the entire complexion of the race. Devoutly Catholic, he speaks with ease about religion. Could help Obama “double-down” on the outsider message. Disadvantages: new governor with no foreign policy exp. Does not project leadership from the stump.

7. Joe Biden – Senator from Delaware. Well known, well respected Senate guru on foreign policy. Born to play VP attack dog. Can out-gun McCain on foreign policy, and is a judiciary wonk to boot. Was born in PA. Disadvantages: won’t bring a state. Prone to make non-judicious comments. Only real job has been as a Senator, so represents entrenched Washington careerism. If he’s not VP, he’ll be #1 or #2 in line for Secretary of State.

6. Brian Schweitzer – Governor of Montana. Popular governor of a red mountain state. Could help with Colorado. Experienced in energy policy as a local, cross-border, and international issue, having spent time in the middle east. Witty and affable on the stump and finds ways to frustrate his opponents with clever plain talk. Could help tremendously with his common touch. Disadvantages: unknown outside of the Mountain West and no foreign policy exp.

5. Chuck Hagel – Senator from Nebraska. Republican, leading GOP voice against the war. Picking him would send a strong bipartisan signal. Decorated Vietnam vet. Has become the “GOP Joe Lieberman.” Could help neutralize McCain’s military advantage. Has the gray hair, bearing and gruff voice of both an attack-dog and an eminence-gris. Disadvantages: would the left in the party be happy with an actual Republican? And Hagel is pro-life. Probably would not bring Nebraska.

4. Kathleen Sebelius – Governor of Kansas. Extremely popular Dem governor in a red, midwestern state who convinced two prominent Republicans to switch parties and run with her. Doubles-down on Obama’s “change Washington” message. Quite likable, won’t overshadow Obama, but as a woman could help smooth over feelings with Hillary constituencies. Negatives: no foreign policy exp. Only Governor for a few years, and as popular as she is, would not be able to deliver KS to the Dems.

3. Ed Rendell – Governor of Pennsylvania. Extremely popular in PA. Brings executive experience and outside-the-beltway cred. Would likely lock PA up for Obama, and could help out in neighboring Ohio. Affable and direct, he won’t over-shadow. High ranking in the Clinton campaign, he could also help mend fences. In the Army reserves during Vietnam but wasn’t sent. Grandson of Russian Jewish immigrants also makes for another interesting American tale. Disadvantages: not well known yet, no national security exp. Would be #1 on this list, but he has expressed disinterest in the VP job, and rumors exist about fidelity issues.

2. Jim Webb – Senator from Virginia. Former Republican, powerful critic of the Iraq war. Unimpeachable foreign policy credentials and fought in Vietnam. Former Secretary of the Navy. Might actually bring Virginia with him, which, in combination with PA and CO would likely hand the election to Obama. Webb was my #1 for a long time, but…. Disadvantages: has had trouble with misogyny. In 1979, famously fought allowing women into combat ranks with an article “Women Can’t Fight.” That was 30 years ago and he has since apologized, but given the tensions over Hillary’s campaign, might not be the best pick anymore. There’s been recent chatter about comments Webb made in 1990 that seemed to smile on the Confederate Flag as a symbol of cultural heritage, but frankly, when paired with Senator Obama, those comments wouldn’t be much of a hindrance. On the contrary, they might actually help.

1. Sam Nunn – former Georgia Senator. Conservative southern Democrat with huge chops in foreign policy. Director of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, an institute against nuclear proliferation. Worked to secure the Soviet nuclear arsenal after the fall of the USSR. Bipartisan cred; closely associated with Bloomberg and Hagel in efforts to promote post-partisan governance. Serves on the board of various companies and has experience in the business world. Would be sort of a Dem Dick Cheney. Disadvantages: close in age to McCain (70). Might not directly help with a geographical area or with white women. Led the fight against allowing gays in the military in the early 1990s, so would have to do major fence mending in the gay community.

The “Not Going to Happen” List: Bloomberg, Mark Warner (needed in the Senate!)