In the past few weeks, several actions by Presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama and his campaign, have seemingly destroyed any chance that his running mate will be Mrs. Hillary Clinton. In fact, it seems as though she has been taken off the short list in a rather quiet way.
Although the selection process remains a mystery and has been kept under wraps, recent actions and messages expressed by this campaign attest to the fact that someone else will be selected. I can certainly imagine this will be a major negative to many of Mrs. Clinton's supporters, especially to those who have since sided with Presumptive Republican nominee John McCain. The likelihood of reclaiming those lost votes may be slim to none.
While true that Obama's best choice for unifying the Democratic party may very well have been Senator Clinton, many believe that her fall from the short list had much more to do with her husband, former President Bill Clinton. That's right, former President Bill Clinton may have been the largest downfall for his wife's VP bid. Why? The answer to that is in the form of a question. Who would be running the show? How can Barack Obama be the United States' great leader, with a former President by his side? Especially in the case of a political powerhouse such as the Clintons. Can you imagine the head butting that would go on?
Many people believe that Senator Hillary Clinton gives Barack Obama the best chance to win this heated election in November. His rejection of her name, next to his, shows clearly, in my opinion, that his ideas, as well as his conviction to stay true to his campaign slogan, greatly outweigh winning votes. While I admire his courage here, I just can't help but wonder if the decision is regretted after the election. After all, Senator Clinton did pick up some 18 million votes during the Democratic primaries, of which 28 percent still have not jumped behind Obama, and 18 percent have decided to convert their loyalty to Sen. John McCain.
The Obama campaign seemed much more open to the idea of Senator Clinton as a running mate in March of this year, before the primary battles got so ugly. We cant help but wonder if her lengthy battle against him, particularly her use of the same criticism McCain now employs, has something to do with it also. Sen. Clinton's extended race for the nomination, may have cost her a chance at a VP bid.