Wesley Clark should be the man.  His military experience trumps McSame by a long shot and he is outside the main political establishment. Change!  Change!  Change!  

He has been through a run for president so he has that going for him.  If Obama wants to live on this platform of change I think he has to go someone like this not to mention his foreign policy creds.

Look at these medals WOW!!!http://securingamerica.com/...

It's customary for a Trial Ballon to float up and either get shot down or continue an upward trajectory...

What has occurred in the last several days and especially this afternoon is nothing short of a Biden BLIMP...  Conventional Wisdom is congeeling around Senator Joe Biden and now the CW is officially signing off on this decision as smart, safe, and effective.  If you approve of Joe, vote in the poll below after rec'in this diary to let the Obama web folks know dKos now approves.

Up First:  Blind sourced story via MSNBC's Howard Fineman

Within the last few hours I've spoken with two of the finalists for the role of Barack Obama's running-mate, and to two other sources who are close to the process.

He is a lively and feisty if unpredictable campaigner with working-class roots and a street-level feel for the hot spots of the globe — which he can use to go toe-to-toe with Sen. John McCain.

"If I had to bet my life on it, I'd bet it is Joe," said one of the other contenders.

Said another, "Barack is moving toward a seasoned Beltway type, and that probably means Biden."

As impressive as his record is and as much as I love and respect him, I believe this is food for the opposition.

Despite this entry, it should be noted that I am still deeply for my guy, Bayh, as Veep.  I am of the belief that he brings all the experience that the pundits demand, experience that could certainly help Barack Obama govern.  I believe that his credibility within the Rust Belt will be priceless.  I believe that he would please a lot of Clinton supporters who want to see someone, anyone from their camp in that role.  I believe that a Senator from Illinous and a Senator/Ex-Governor from Indiana, two states bordering one another, would create a powerful ticket.  I believe, perhaps most importantly, that Senator Bayh will be H.W. Bush to today's Reagan; reassuring skeptical voters aching for change that "yes, this guy is alright."  With that said, in no particular order;

Hell no!  In no particular order;

I'm serious.  It's a slam dunk.

There is probably no better-liked woman in the country right now than Elizabeth Edwards. She gets the votes for courage AND for sympathy.  She has shown such grace and dignity in the face of multiple tragedies, and her statement here yesterday (still on the rec list) is proof of her profound integrity.

In addition, she may be the only female veep candidate that could quickly satisfy the Hillary hangers-on that still want Hillary and may see any other female choice as an insult rather than a testament.

As most of us, i was greatly unhappy with Sen. Clinton during the primaries and at the time disgusted by the thought of her anywhere near Obama and his administration. Now, times have changed.

I'm sorry, but I couldn't help it.  That is, I couldn't help but bring a bit of the media's horse-race sensationalism to dKos just one time.  With Obama's possible pick just days away, now is the time to offer up our predictions.

The Democratic and Republican presidential tickets of 2008 (in my book):

Obama/Biden versus McCain/Fiorina.

An explanation below the fold--

With press reports indicating that Obama has closed in on a list of vice presidential finalists,  I thought it would be interesting to study the VP optics, and look at who would look good on TV, has some generational appeal, who sends the best message of change, and so on.  Maybe it comes down to good hair?

Yes, of course issues and policies matter, as well as experience. Does the candidate help bring in a state or region?  How personally compatible will the choice be with Obama. Can they work well together?

If Barack Obama chooses Virginia Governor Tim Kaine as his running mate (instead of Evan Bayh) he will be making a fatal mistake that will usher in a Bush 3rd Term a la McCain and I will give you my reasons.

Fretting About Vetting
I have been reading diaries here and on other Blogs fretting about the vetting going on.  Ann Veneman?! As frightening as that choice would be, we seem to be under two illusions that need to be disspelled:

1. Democrats have a long history of choosing outstanding Veeps

2. Veeps actually help get people elected

More in extended...

I've received a recent credible report that Obama is seriously considering picking Jesus as his running mate. Since I blog on DailyKos and have far more political experience then a Noob like Barack Obama let me tell you. Jesus is a terrible choice for Vice President! What is Obama Thinking?

Mike Bloomberg makes the perfect choice for an Obama running mate.

Yep, that's two "Very" in the title and in the quote of the article that I can't really describe as anything other than a serious float.

Kaine, an early Obama supporter whose biography nicely dovetails with the Illinois senator’s, "ranks very, very high on the short list," said a source who has spoken recently to senior Obama aides about Kaine.

Kaine could serve as ambassador, his proponents say, to four key groups: Virginians, Catholics, working-class white voters, and Hispanics. (Kaine can be seen in one YouTube video endorsing Obama in proficient Spanish.

Two Virginia Democrats close to Kaine, however, said Kaine and his staff believe that he is being very seriously considered, and that he and his staff had met with lawyers and submitted piles of documents to the campaign.

Well the latest political winds are that Indiana Senator and former-Governor, Evan Bayh, son of former Senator Birch Bayh, is the frontrunner for VP for Senator Obama.  Bayh is white, from the heartland, and has executive (former two-term Governor) and national security experience.  He has youth and "seasoning," which is a rare mix in Washington.  He also is a centrist.  The CW is that he balances Obama ideologically and accentuates Obama's midwestern appeal (and adds to Obama's rural/suburban/working class white appeal).  He is the consumate safe pick. This pick would also allegedly reach out the Hillary supporters, since he was one of her biggest and credited with helping her hold on to Indiana in the Dem primary there.  He is probably one of the few politicians in America that could actually deliver a state to Obama.

More info: http://www.crescent-news.com/...

As many Kossacks have correctly pointed out Hillary comes with WJC who is a former POTUS and that as Obama says "complicates things".  But Obama is still seriously considering Hillary as his VP and evaluating the advantages and disadvantages.

http://www.latimes.com/...

With a 1994 article by McCain V.P. candidate Bobby Jindal gaining fresh attention, the Texas Supreme Court on Friday overturned a judgment against the Pleasant Glade Assembly of God Church on Friday in a civil case surrounding exorcism. The justices ruled 6-3 decision that the jury's decision infringed on First Amendment rights.

A county jury had awarded Laura Schubert $300,000 in damages for injuries, both physical and psychological, during a 1996 exorcism performed by the church when she was 17. Schubert said she had been, essentially, kidnapped and suffered injures and psychological trauma, leading to self-mutilation and a suicide attempt.

Justice David Medina wrote in the new opinion that awarding a judgment against the church would "would have an unconstitutional 'chilling effect' by compelling the church to abandon core principles of its religious beliefs."

I doubt that I was the only person who was impressed with the Biden combination of candor and gravitas on Meet the Press this morning. He demonstrated that he was able to cut a brief direct argument that countered Graham's diatribes on Obama's perceived weaknesses.