at least so far this cycle

Obama is a Trickster - he has had us reaching sequentially for a "military officer" and when Wes was left off the foreign policy experts list it was assumed to be Clark because he would be there as VP - then Sebelius, then Kaine, and this week Bayh - there is new theme this week with Ed Rendell teaming with Bloomberg and Arnold to rebuild the cities - there is no need for a VP to beef up Obama's foreign policy profile; that is not the job of VP except in Cheneyland - Sam Nunn will do that (and he has been pitched for VP) - my feeling today is that "rebuilding the interior" will be a major theme and the U.S. will look inward - Ed Rendell - also, Obama is on the defensive as he is running against a Republican team already in office - Romney seems a likely McCain VP and Obama will want someone to go head to head with Romney now and possibly in 2012;  - someone with heft - Ed Rendell.

on quite a few issues, especially those involving finances.  And while he might be from outside Washington, he has been very much involved in old-style politics.  While one might assume that he would lock down PA and FL (and thereby probably the election), I'm not sure how a full vetting of him might play out.

I would say he ain't a great choice, and that there are far better among those already being considered.

Someone tell me how Mark Warner puts W. Va in the Obama column?  No offense to any strategist, but Obama seems to have written off W. Va, although it repeatedly re-elects two of the Senate's most liberal guys, Byrd and Rockefeller.  Most uninformed pundits write off W Va as hopelessly racist and that simply is not the case, the Democrat primary exit polls show many voters in northern cities citing race as a stronger factor in how they voted than in W.Va.  Something else is going on and it is mostly about the Second Amendment, coal and a lack of contact with and information about Obama.  The Clintons are needed there to rally the working class and we will see some movement but I don't see Warner changing a vote in W.Va either way but he might cinch Virginia which is going to be very close without him on the ticket.

have a great relationship. This could go a long way in WV

Mark Warner seals the deal for Obama. Virginia, West Virginia, New Hampshire and possibly Missouri.

I know, I know "We need him in the Senate". But c'mon.. Brian Moran or Creigh Deeds should be able to crush Gilmore. Especially since Warner would still be on the ballot, just in the VP slot.

This would also take care of the Governor's race next year.

Does anyone know how the Democrats would put a nominee forth at this point?

I'd have to agree that with Warner in the VP slot, Deeds, Moran or Boucher would have a pretty good shot at beating Gilmore, who has self-destructed to the point that a late change on the Dem side probably would not help him at this point.

It might also help people like Nye and Perriello if a Virginian on the national ballot increases turnout for the Democrats more that Warner vying for a Senate seat as a shoo-in.  

and I dont know if this will mean anything but there has been a lot of buzz in Kaine's office. A friend of mine works in the Governor's office and it looks very convincingly like Obama will pick him. Now, it might just be a cover. A lot of activity that would suggest Kaine would leave to be VP has been going on though.

We'll see.

I believe it's a bit early to count Senator Bayh out of the running.  Obama certainly didn't say it WASN'T going to be him.  He gave the same response he did to inquiries about Sebelius and Kaine.  I do feel, however, that the time is appropriate to count General Clark out of the running.  Face it man.  I know you respect the guy, but it just isn't gonna happen.  Not after that "controversy" earlier this year.

but I also think Clark is.  Frankly, as you say, we don't know what's going on behind the scenes at the Obama campaign, and all this is just speculation, fun though it may be. :)

That is one thing I am kind of glad about cause Barack seems to have hit a rough patch anyway.

I am still in shock that a poll at this site would find Clark so far ahead.  That has to be the news item of the day.

Odds are that Obama will pick a politician who has been elected to office.  OTOH, Clark is in the grey in between area since he did run for office.  My opinion now is that it is not worth expressing further opinions on this matter.  We should be out campaigning or reading position papers or doing something else constructive.

I may be one of the few people in the blogosphere who likes the concept of an Obama-Bayh ticket.  But there may be some info indicating that Bayh might already be the actual pick, and that Obama is just holding off on an announcement until after his Hawaii vacation:

http://thepage.time.com/2008/0...

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes...

I think Obama will select a woman for his running mate. Either Clinton, Kennedy (Caroline), McCaskill (Claire), or Sebelius (Kathleen).

I would hope that the Obama campaign is looking at more than just the VP issue and considering Cabinet picks as well. Kaine would make a good education secretary, Clark a defense secretary, and so forth. Sorting through all these cv's is quite a task, and some of the fav VP candidates around here might be more useful in other slots.