One columnist in Pittsburgh, who is no stranger to diplomacy and international relations, suggests that the Democratic and Republican presidential tickets will include both Connecticut senators.
I'm especially skeptical of the proposed Democratic ticket, and I doubt Mr. McCain would select someone who ran as a vice presidential nominee in 2000 (and obviously lost). Sen. Dodd would blunt the "not enough experience" argument that is being hurled at Sen. Obama, but others -- such as Michigan's Carl Levin and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson -- also can do that. And they, in my opinion, would bring more to the Democratic ticket. Levin, for example, would make Michigan a solidly "toss-up" state. Richardson is a popular governor in a state that was narrowly won by President Bush in 2004.
The proposed McCain-Lieberman ticket makes more sense to me (in comparison to Obama-Dodd) because McCain appears to appreciate surrounding himself with people he likes. My sense is that he and Sen. Lieberman genuinely like each other (and needless to say each has been comfortable rocking the boat in the past). However, Lieberman does nothing to placate the conservative base of the Republican Party. And, as mentioned, he has been a runningmate before. I wonder if Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander or South Carolina's Lindsey Graham would be better selections. Their credentials might not be conservative enough, in some eyes, but they are from the South, which McCain needs to win handily on Nov. 4.
In playing this "what if?" game, I confess I'm doing something I dislike media organizations doing -- passing off speculation as news. So to help ease my angst, I'm not going to consider this post "speculation." No, instead, I'm going to consider it an example of an "educated guess." You bet, I feel better already :-)
UPDATE: Late Wednesday posting. Lieberman will give a strong signal about his interest in and chances of becoming McCain's nominee by choosing whether to attend an event sponsored by a religious figure McCain recently distanced himself from.
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