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by Paul Schingle

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Obviously, this whole article could be moot if Senator Obama doesn't end up getting the party's nomination, but it can be interesting to speculate. Generally, a presidential candidate will look for some sort of balance. That balance can be based on geography, age or even ideologies. This year, race and gender even play a role. I can think of three quality candidates who could run with Barack Obama and help out the ticket.

First, I'll start by crossing Hillary Clinton off the list. I doubt if she'd want it. Obama has said he's not interested if she gets the nomination. It's just not a good match.

All three of the candidates I have in mind are current sitting governors. Senator Obama may seriously consider Governor Janet Napolitano of Arizona. She offsets the gender thing. If Obama gets the nomination, a lot of white women are going to end up angry. She's from McCain's home state. This could take a few votes away from McCain and force him to spread his resources in a state where he believes victory is a foregone conclusion. The only down side to Napolitano is, during the primary season, she endorsed Clinton, if I'm not mistaken. Again, this could be helpful in getting back the "Clinton vote."

Bill Richardson, governor of New Mexico, is another person Obama might consider. He balances things, geographically, like Napolitano. He has some foreign policy experience as an ambassador under the Clinton administration. Of course, his endorsement of Obama ruffled some feathers in the Clinton camp and he may be considered a "persona non grata" within the Democratic party, as a whole. The other downside is his Hispanic roots. If America is going ot have a hard time voting for a black president, how hard will it be to convince Mr. and Mrs. Whitebread to vote for two minorities on the same ticket. Still, from a balance and experience standpoint, Bill Richardson has a lot of qualities.

Finally, Obama may well consider Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas. Now, true, she doesn't really balance the ticket geographically, being from another midwestern state. However, with her endorsement, Obama carried Kansas to a surprisingly easy victory. She obviously has pull within her own state and may have the same kind of pull nationally. Again, she could help Obama garner the female vote he's in danger of losing by beating Hillary Clinton.

Any of these three candidates could have merit as a potential running mate. Barack Obama would gain something (and conceivably lose something else) by naming any of these candidates. And he may well consider, or has considered, each of them. Or, he may already have someone in mind that none of us know about. It's always interesting to speculate.

Learn more about this author, Paul Schingle.

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