If I Hear Hillary-Obama One More Time.......................

"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." - - Michael Corleone

This quote often comes to mind when I hear or read supposed "political professionals" spewing off at the mouth that Hillary Clinton will pick Barack Obama as her VP.

OK.

First of all, Hillary would have to be amoeba bait to do this.

Secondly, Hillary is not amoeba bait.

That's another factoid I wish I could get my fellow GOPers to accept and grasp but alas, I digress. The lesson of this post is Hillary will never pick Obama. If I had anything worth betting, with the exception of my life, I would put it on the table. Here's why.

#1) America is America. I love it. It's the best country in the world. Cue the music.

OK. Time to be frank. We are what we are and at the end of the day, despite opinion polls and other various survey research data, America has its prejudices and in my opinion, although it may not be popular, America is barely ready for a minority president be it gender or race based in its origins. If the Democratic Party nominates Hillary and uhm, err, yeah, trust me, they will, she is going to need someone to truly pick up all of her slack. Bill Clinton serves this purpose on the campaign trail now but he can't get out there and debate as the #2 on the ticket. I, regrettably, do not think America is ready for both a woman and an African American on the ticket. One or the other, sure. Both? Nah. And oh yeah, we as a general rule don't like to promote Senators to the Oval Office. What's it been? 45 years or so since we last did that?? Now people think we're going to vote for two of them on the same ticket??

#2) Hillary has several, and I do mean several, weaknesses as a candidate. You'd never know it if you didn't pay close attention because she is an exceptional politician who rarely, if ever, makes a mistake that allows for an opponent to exploit such an opening, but they're there. At this point in time, polls show that the top three concerns of Americans are the war in Iraq/America's standing in the world, the economy and healthcare. At the end of the day, Senator Clinton has limited experience in all. Sure she was First Lady and she sits on a few cute committees in her role as a senator but what does this equal to the average American voter who couldn't tell you one thing about a Senate Committee???? I'll tell you what it equals. It equals a need for real help, not "help" from a Junior Senator who loads his resume with committeeships. Another major weakness of Clinton's is her lack of likeability on a grand scale. She comes off as stiff and guarded and well hey, I will let this one slide based on what she's been through but she still needs intense help to pick up the slack in the personality department. Obama is a great orator but Hillary is such a towering figure he can't lift her up.

#3) In order to win, Hillary needs to pick up a few "Heartland" states and she needs to swing the Independent vote her way. In this political climate, that really should not be a tall order but still, she will need some reassurances and the VP slot is an opportunity to do just that. Barack Obama provides nothing, nothing to a Hillary led ticket. Hillary already carries the African American vote. Most any Democrat would if you look at the voting history of the block. Obama can not help her pick up any key states.

So what's the point of having Obama in the VP slot? According to the likes of people like Newt Gingrich, it is to pick up the far left of the Democratic party and those in the Independent field who are unhappy with Hillary's positions on Iraq. But to me, this is flawed. Those against the war are going to go with the Democrat no matter what. The end.

So who will be Hillary's VP in my opinion?

It's obvious isn't it?

Bill Richardson.

Not only is he an exceptionally qualified candidate via his very real experiences, he is often viewed as the second most affable politician in the country behind yes, the other Bill. And he's a governor, not a member of this extremely despised Congress. Oh yeah, he is also of Mexican descent and would hand deliver the most sought after voting block in political history--the Latinos who are now more than a force to be reckoned with. Quite simply put, the Latino voting block decides elections.

Would someone be so kind as to educate me on how a Clinton-Richardson ticket is stopped?

Soooooooo, if you're sitting around minding your own business and you happen to hear a very loud scream, be not alarmed. It's just me. Check your local programming. Odds are some talking head somewhere just uttered the phrase "Clinton-Obama 08."