West, Donavon West

In Boca Raton, Florida this past Thursday, Barack Obama was asked about his choice for a vice-president. Obama was asked (in not so many words) if he could ask Hillary Clinton to be his running mate even with everything that had gone on with her husband, Bill Clinton.

In his carefully worded response (see YouTude video above), he referenced a book by Doris Kearns Goodwin called "Team of Rivals". Obama described how Lincoln pulled into his cabinet all of the people who he had run again. Lincoln put personal feelings and political affiliations aside to focus on how to get the country through it's time of crisis. Barack Obama added "That has to be the approach one takes".

While on the Meet the Press panel, Ms. Goodwin suggested that Obama's statement seemed to hint that he would consider the notion. She quoted Lyndon Johnson who said "Better to have your enemies inside the tent pissing out, than outside the tent pissing in."

I have a different take on the subject (no, not the pissing part, the Hillary as VP part). I feel that all of those years of experience as First Lady that Hilary likes to tout (e.g. Bosnia) have prepared her to be an excellent choice for Secretary of State. She certainly has proven that she is tough enough to stare down the likes of Ahmadinejad.

As I wrote in my previous post, I still offer that an excellent choice for VP is retired two term Nebraska Senator and Republican, Chuck Hagel. Hagel could help Obama where is hurting the most, with working class whites. An Obama/Hagel ticket could even sway more conservative Republicans who perceive some of McCain's policies as too liberal.

Although Hagel is a decorated military veteran (serving side by side with his brother Tom as infantry squad leaders with the U.S. Army’s 9th Infantry Division and has two Purple Hearts) he is vehemently opposed to the war in Iraq.

The downside with an Obama/Hagel '08 ticket is that Democrats are left with the possibility of handing the presidency to an incubate Republican Vice President Hagel in 2016. He also goes against many of the ideals that make up the Democratic party, therefore any tie votes in he senate would be decided by a Republican.

It is still to be seen whether an Obama/Clinton "dream ticket" will ever come to pass. With all of the bad blood, it's hard to imagine Obama would offer, and even if he did, hard to see that Hillary would accept.

Obama is all about "new politics" and The Clintons (yes plural) are anything but. So who could Obama pick to help win over hard working white voters (you know, the ones who cling to their guns and religion) and show he truly is the candidate of change? Some have floated the Republican senator from Nebraska, Chuck Hagel.

Why on earth would Obama consider Hagel as a possible veep? It is no secret that Hagel disagrees with Bush/McCain on the war and is the Republican party's most outspoken critic. A perfect fit to Obama's "a war that never should have been authorized, never should have been waged".

Hagel has also offered up some kind words about Obama.  "I like Barack Obama a lot. He's smart. He listens. He learns. He's a worthy candidate for president".

Listen to Senator Hagel on MSNBC's Morning Joe. He sounds like he's all but auditioning for the part.

What better way for Obama to "reach across the isle" than to offer the vice presidency to the other party. Washington may never be the same.

*** Update *** I have an update to this article here.