A Supersmart Obama Supporter Breaks the Code on the Clintons' Veep Rhetoric

Of all the crafty attacks the Clinton campaign has hurled at Barack Obama in the last few weeks, the most insidious is the one that, on the surface, looks like a gesture of conciliation and unity. Out on the trail, both Bill and Hillary Clinton rhapsodized about a Clinton-Obama ticket. Senator Clinton said, "I've had people say, 'Well I wish I could vote for both of you.' Well, that might be possible some day. But first I need your vote on Tuesday." President Clinton said, "I know that she has always been open to it... She thinks it would be hard to beat."

What's wrong with the Clintons generously offering to bring Barack Obama with them to the White House?

*It's arrogant. Obama has a 100+ delegate lead. Every calculation shows it will be difficult for Senator Clinton to move ahead before the uncommitted superdelegates decide. So it's nervy to suggest that the ticket should be Clinton-Obama, when Obama leads Clinton.

*It flies in the face of everything else they're saying. Senator Clinton's main message recently, from her "3 a.m." commercial to her stump remarks, is that, unlike her and John McCain, Obama lacks the strength and experience to be commander-in-chief. As she recently said, McCain "will put forth his lifetime of experience. I will put forth my lifetime of experience. Senator Obama will put forth a speech he made in 2002." Yet at the same time she's ready to put Obama a heartbeat away? Nah. You can't reconcile the two positions.

*She's unlikely to ask. If Hillary gets the nomination, she may well feel pressure to ask Obama to run with her. But, in the end, a Clinton-Obama ticket seems improbable. First, Clinton may believe, rightly or wrongly, there are better choices, not just in terms of experience but in terms of electoral strategy: Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, Florida Senator Bill Nelson, etc. Second, it seems apparent that Clinton and Obama do not love each other, and that putting them in the same administration might be a toxic mix.

*He's unlikely to accept. Even if Clinton asked, why would Obama say yes? He might well believe he would have a better shot at the White House, and a much more enjoyable and productive next 4 to 8 years, by staying in the Senate and perhaps becoming Illinois' governor, rather than either going down to defeat as VP nominee in '08 or apprenticing in the White House at the Clintons' knees.

Given all these factors:

*It's a trick. The real purpose of floating this "dream ticket" is to make torn voters, who just can't make up their minds, feel that they can vote for Hillary and still get Obama. (It also potentially makes Clinton look nice and Obama look mean: Obama has other choices for VP besides Clinton, and he's less inclined to say something he doesn't believe, so he won't be offering an Obama-Clinton ticket.) Voters shouldn't fall for this trick. They have to make a choice. If they vote for Hillary, they will get only Hillary.