The American Spectator

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Ira M. Kessel br> Rochester, New York /p>

Newsmax.com is reporting that Hillary Clinton has been added to Barack Obama's short list of possible running mates. Pardon me for not gasping in surprise. Does anyone seriously believe Obama would dare choose someone other than Hillary? I know the Obama campaign has to make a good showing and will spend the next several days or weeks fretting over the supposed strengths and weaknesses of this or that potential V.P. But really, after all is said and done, only one person emerges as the obvious choice to compliment the young Senator -- Hillary Rodham Clinton. Any other selection will doom Obama to a second term in the Senate.

The much ballyhooed downsides to a Democratic dream ticket evaporate upon close examination. Having an ambitious and tempestuous Hillary just down the hall from the oval office, often cited as a dream ticket deal breaker, is in fact a non-issue. Whatever internal squabbling might take place between Clinton and Obama will be confined to the cozy quarters of the White House, away from the prying eyes of press and public. Having Billary close by will be uncomfortable, but tolerable. But, you say, the press has grown tired of the Clintons, turning away from Hillary in her moment of need. True enough. But once she is on Obama's team, the vast left-wing conspiracy -- aka the mainstream media -- will have no choice but to reignite its passion for Hill and Bill. Continuing to attack Hillary once she is V.P. would risk hurting Prince Obama, a betrayal unthinkable to the lockstep left. Chris Matthews will discover shivers running down both legs.

The reasons for including Hillary on the ticket are varied and powerful. "Clinton finished strong by winning six of the last nine and nine of the last 15 primaries," Newsmax.com reminds us, "including 10-point victories over Sen. Obama...in the key electoral states of Ohio and Pennsylvania." Obama simply has no chance in white, working class states without Hillary's proven support from those demographics. Moreover, Hillary's experience quotient far exceeds those of other possible Obama running mates. Senator Jim Webb, General Wesley (yawn) Clark, General James Jones and even more obscure potential V.P. choices will not help the empty suit stature of the first-term, "I've campaigned in all 57 states," Illinois Senator. The more Obama talks -- especially off-prompter -- the more his woeful inadequacies become apparent. The stature Obama lacks can only be supplied by Hillary.

The single most compelling reason Obama will choose Hillary is that all of the other candidates for the bottom of the ticket are -- you guessed it -- men. Men! MEN!! Obama must have the support of women, and more than a few have sworn to abandon the Democratic Party because of its rejection of the first viable female candidate for President in America's history. Should Obama compound Hillary's humiliation by selecting another man as his running mate, Obama will fall in line behind Gore and Kerry as last loser.

Putting Hillary on the ticket would also forestall an unlikely but remotely possible occurrence -- a third-party romp by Ms. Clinton. Let's look at things from her perspective. Should Obama win in 2008, with or without Hillary on the ballot as V.P., Ms. Clinton would likely never have another shot at the White House. She'll be about 70 in 2016, long in tooth and very old news. If Hillary's presidential aspirations are thwarted in 2008, her next best chance is 2012, and a 2012 run depends on an Obama defeat this year. Clinton as third-party campaigner would assure a McCain victory, opening the door for another Hillary run for the White House in 2012. This scenario assumes the Clintons are willing to throw the Democratic Party under the proverbial bus to further their political careers. Hmmmm...

p>A latent independent candidacy is one of several reasons Hillary has suspended, but not ended, her campaign. Obama quashes that nightmarish possibility by choosing Hillary, uniting the party and reaching otherwise unreachable constituents in the bargain. It's his only choice, really. br> -- Jerry Pomeroy br> Sun City, California /p> p> POOR SUBSTITUTE

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