By Carl Sampson
Who’s it going to be?
By the time the Democrats meet for their national convention in Denver at the end of this month, and the Republicans meet in Minneapolis during the first part of September; speculation over who Barack Obama and John McCain will choose as running mates will have reached a crescendo.
Will it be some young up-and-comer or some old-line party operative? Will it be a breath of fresh air or the same-old same-old, as they say in politics?
Well, before all of the back rooms start filling with smoke and all of the chits are called in, here’s my fearless forecast for who the vice presidential candidates should be.
The toughest choice is for Obama. He has spent the past year running against the party establishment, so folks like Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, are off his list. So is Hillary what’s-her-name, who burned all of her bridges with Obama months ago. No amount of kissing up will help her.
Having said that, here’s who I choose as the vice presidential candidate for Obama. A drum roll. please: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California. What’s that? You say the president must be a native-born American? The Constitution doesn’t say a word about the vice president. And you say that Arnold is a Republican? If you examine his record, you’ll find a full-blown Democrat – and one who’s married to a Kennedy at that!
Yep, Obama would do well with the Terminator as his No. 2 guy. When you think about it, it’s a natural choice.
John McCain, the GOP presidential candidate, has a different problem than Obama’s. While Obama’s inexperience works against him, McCain’s “excessive” experience works against him. I personally think McCain should borrow a line from Ronald Reagan, who told a debate audience that he wouldn’t use Jimmy Carter’s lack of experience against him.
McCain needs a young, smart, strong and totally awesome running mate. In Republican circles, only one person would fit the bill. She’s the best governor you’ve never heard of: Sarah Palin.
Who? Palin is the governor of Alaska, and is 10 times smarter and tougher than any other Republican.
In fact, she’s tough as nails, having taken on a crowd of multi-national oil companies that wanted to steamroll Alaska in building a natural gas pipeline. Her integrity and her charm have combined to make her the most popular governor ever. Plus, she has five kids. If she can handle five kids and 600,000 Alaskans, those birds in Washington, D.C., don’t have a chance.
Yep, McCain could do no better than Sarah Palin.
Actually, if I had a choice, I’d vote for Schwarzenegger or Palin before I’d vote for either Obama or McCain.
I know. As my main man Reagan would say, there I go again.
