Who Should Be Hillary Clinton's Running Mate?

Regardless of who wins the nomination as Democratic contender for the presidency in 2008, the choice of a running mate will very likely be crucial to winning the election. Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have weaknesses that will require a strong vice-presidential running mate if they are going to be successful. Presuming Hillary Clinton gets the nod from the Democrats, who will she choose to run with to optimize her chances for success?

Immediately, she has to rule out choosing a woman as her running mate. This is not because there are no women who could qualify and do a great job. It's simply that two women on the ticket will not win. The country may indeed be ready for a woman president - if it is the right woman - but it is decidedly not ready for women in both top spots. If anyone is harboring hopes for an all-woman ticket, get over it now - it's not going to happen.

So what might Clinton's short list look like? Here are five names to consider: Wesley Clark, a career military man, retired, and past candidate for president; Joe Biden, the Senator from Delaware who has also been a presidential contender, Connecticut Senator and presidential candidate Chris Dodd, John Edwards, former senator and anti-poverty activist, and James Webb, the junior Senator from Virginia and former Secretary of the Navy under Ronald Reagan.

Wesley Clark may be the front runner among these five possible choices. He has the right credentials, his background gives him credibility as a foreign policy expert, and he is a Clinton supporter, often appearing with her on the campaign trail. Clark is an unabashed critic of Bush-Cheney Middle East politics and their efforts to spread conflict there to other countries, notably Iran (www.Who2.com/ask/wesleyclark) . Given his opposition to the war in Iraq, in his support of Clinton, Clark mitigates somewhat her votes that helped pave the way into Iraq. Though Hillary continually plays up her foreign policy credentials, Clark's presence on the ticket could go a long way to persuading doubters.