Fineman: Obama's short list is Bayh, Biden, and Kaine

[Mr. Morden]

So Howard Fineman said a few hours ago on MSNBC....that the Obama people he talked to said that the short list for Obama's running mate is Bayh, Biden, and Kaine.

ABC's The Note also says this:

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/07/the-note-obam-7.html

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[Mr. Morden]

Of McCain's three, he better pick Ridge, the others are mediocre at best.  Of course, I would still prefer Crist or Lieberman.  Why couldn't Crist have been elected four years earlier?  Then, he would've been almost the perfect candidate.

It's not clear to me that those 3 really are McCain's short list.  All it says is that "the conventional wisdom" says that those are the top 3.  Not that there's any hard evidence of such.  With the Obama short list, however, we have at least one journalist (Fineman) saying that Obama campaign people have told him that that *is* the short list.  (Though of course there's still the chance that they're not telling the full truth.)

[Mr. Morden]

he doesnt strike me as the kind of individual who likes be second.  i cant even imagine he would find being vp appealing.  seems like hed prefer sec of defense or sec of state...where he could be in control.

Another good point, but I honestly think he'd be more than happy to be the VP of most powerful country in the world.  He has said that he'd be interested in being Obama's VP.

Actually, it's more like the opposite.  He said that he's not interested in being VP, but that he'd have to say yes if asked:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25313596/page/4/

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Of course, in political speak, "I'd reluctantly say yes, even though I'm not interested" translates into "I would give anything to be vice president".

[Mr. Morden]

However, his lack of experience along with Obama's is a potential problem, though of course it could be spun as a real "change" ticket. Also his pro-life position might be problematic with the base; though of course again, that cuts both ways and could help in states such as Ohio.

Again, Kaine is not pro-life.  He says that he personally thinks abortion is wrong, but that it should still be legal.  The pro-life/pro-choice divide is over whether abortion should be legal, not over whether it's morally OK.  Thinking abortion is immoral doesn't automatically make you pro-life.

[Mr. Morden]

Here's more: Firstread repeats the line that the short list is Bayh, Biden, and Kaine:

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/07/30/1232899.aspx

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However, Ambinder adds Sebelius to the mix:

http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/07/sebelius_kaine_bayh_biden.php

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