Long list before short list for vice president

Democrats
Still battling delegate for delegate, Clinton and Obama need to keep their focus right now on securing the nomination.

Others, though, have more time to ponder the ramifications of the two candidates teaming up - in either order.

Many see that as the unstoppable "dream unity ticket," says Goldstein.

Republican Galen, however, thinks it would be more of a nightmare scenario.

A President Obama, he says, wouldn't want Bill Clinton roaming around "reminding everybody of how he would have done it."

A President Clinton, he says, wouldn't want to be overshadowed by the star appeal of Obama.

If the Democratic candidates decide to look elsewhere for a running mate, one strategy is select someone who reinforces their own qualities.

Obama, for example, could pick a Washington outsider to supersize his change message, for example a governor like Arizona's Janet Napolitano or Kansas' Kathleen Sebelius.

Exciting the country
Dan Coen, a Los Angeles management consultant who runs the Web site vicepresidents.com, said Bill Clinton executed this strategy flawlessly in selecting Gore, another young Southerner. Coen, who also wrote a book about vice presidential trivia, calls this the "ticket brand" strategy.

"It's important to pick a candidate who complements you so well that it really excites the country," Coen said.

The counter strategy is to select someone with offsetting qualities, in Obama's case a senior statesman such as Joe Biden or Chris Dodd, two longtime senators who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for themselves this year. In Clinton's case, that could be Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, seen as more of a moderate than her.

Other names floated for Clinton: Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland and retired Gen. Wesley Clark, who made his own run for the Democratic nomination four years ago.

John Edwards, who had a difficult time as John Kerry's running mate in 2004, says his name is off the table.

"I'm finished with that," Edwards said last year, when he was still seeking the nomination for himself.

Democrat, Republican or something in between, anyone thinking about making a play for the vice president's job might want to ponder McCain's own thoughts on the position.

Asked last year whether he would consider being a vice presidential candidate, McCain, a prisoner of war in Vietnam, said:

"You know, I spent all those years in a North Vietnamese prison camp, kept in the dark, fed scraps - why the heck would I want to do that all over again?"

Picking the president: The candidates Click to visit that candidate's MSNBC page or click the XML symbol for an RSS feed. John McCain                Barack Obama

MORE FROM

Section Front

Obama campaign head gets big book deal Officials turn down Franken request Joe the Plumber to become war correspondent Franken lead at 49 with absentees left to count Minn. Senate winner won't be known in 2008 First Read: 'Twas the seventh week of recount... Franken opens first lead in Minn. Senate race Mom of Palin daughter's boyfriend arrested Minn. court weighs rejected absentee ballots Minnesota panel reviews disputed ballots Section Front   Add headlines to your news reader: