Combing Barack Obama's schedule for VP-pick clues

With time running out for Barack Obama to finally announce his much-anticipated pick of a running mate, the search for any clue that might provide a hint has gone into overdrive. Thus, there is unusual interest in Obama's schedule.

Obama this afternoon stumps in Albuquerque, an easy drive from Santa Fe, where Bill Richardson resides as New Mexico's governor. Might Richardson -- mentioned as a veep prospect both in 2000 and 2004 -- finally get the nod?

We're betting against it, in part because he underperformed as a presidential contender this year; perhaps more so because of James Carville's Judas comment about him -- fair or not -- would simply add to the Hillary Clinton-related headaches for no-drama Obama.

Far more intriguing is Obama's planned Wednesday stop in Martinsville, Va., a small city in the state's south-central area. What better place for Obama to unveil Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine as his choice?

Of course, last week's selection of former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner as the keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention was widely interpreted as a sign that Kaine would get passed over in the veepstakes. The reasoning? No point in spotlighting two Virginians at the conclave.

Tuesday, by the way, finds Obama delivering a speech to the VFW in Orlando, Fla., and then traveling to Raleigh, N.C., for a town hall meeting.

-- Don Frederick

Comments

[acarponzo]

I think he is planning to text message his VP choice, not announce it. What gives with Obama's numbers at the realtime online poll at http://www.bop-o-rama.com? Here is a funny thought. "Politicians are interested in people. Not that this is always a virtue. Fleas are interested in dogs."
--P.J. Rourke

[galic]

The mainstream media has frankly put the security of our great country at risk with an Obama coronation media like CNN & MSNBC is the only way Obama managed to steal the Dem nom. It’s extremely concerning that so many Americans could care less about who their candidate really is?? simply amazing and frankly scarey.

PLEASE WATCH AND SHARE WITH EVERYONE ASAP

"The Last 100 Days"
Hon. James David Manning, PhD.

www.atlah.org/broadcast/ndnr07-28-08.html

www.dontvoteobama.net

[SWMIssouri]

The tricky part about the VP stake is that the Senate is so close...I'm sure that Obama won't want to rip out it's best folks and leave the tie vote up to Lieberman.

If that's the case then he's left with Governors, Congressmen, and...ex-generals.

I'd love to see Wes Clark as VP. He took McCain to task (and even alienated some Obama folks). But he's a real Vet, a very decent man, understands the world stage, won a war! McCain says he knows how to win wars...what war has he ever won? The great war against the American Livelihood. Yeah...he and Bush are winning that war. Clark has won a war with international support, without a loss of a single American. Beat that McCain.

[rita s]

Tuesday, Florida, (drum roll please) WEXLER!

[Gaias Child]

Lately I think my speculations are looking to see who hasn't got a speech yet at the convention ... Bill Richardson? Joe Biden? Sam Nunn? Claire McCaskill? Colin Powell? Thing is they'd all be good in cabinet roles too and in the jobs they are doing .... soon we will know. Chances are the posters and buttons are somewhere getting printed? So the chosen one knows? The only one of those not much in the public eye lately is Sam Nunn. One of Obama's early resources in the Senate. I like them all. I took a few people off my short list. It's tough making the big decisions.

[JC]

We urge Gov. Richardson as the VP selection and recommend the following for the rest of the Obama cabinet:

Vice President - Gov. Bill Richardson
Secretary of State - Sen. Christopher J. Dodd
Secretary of the Treasury - Austan Goolsbee
Secretary of Defense - Sen. Jim Webb
Attorney General - Attorney General Jerry Brown
Secretary of the Interior - Sen. Barbara Mukulski
Secretary of Agriculture - Sen. Tom Harkin
Secretary of Commerce - Sen. Daniel K. Inouye
Secretary of Labor - Cong. George Miller
Secretary of Health and Human Services - Sen. Hillary Clinton
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development - Sen. Sherrod Brown
Secretary of Transportation - Rep. James L. Oberstar
Secretary of Energy - Sen. Mary Landrieu
Secretary of Education - Cong. Ruben Hinojosa
Secretary of Veterans Affairs - Cong. Corrine Brown
Secretary of Homeland Security - Sen. Charles Schumer

[wolf]

When i see today's headlines about the republicans trying to redefine contraceptives as abortion, I'm reminded at how desperately we need a change in our administration.

[ Btw, SWMIssouri - I know what you're saying about the senate being so close --- and that's completely true --- but I suspect that if trends continue as they have been, the Dems will pick up more seats this time around. They're shooting for a 2/3rds majority. )

[jed]

Ted Kennedy has already instructed Obama to pick Richardson

[Donze Lopez]

Barack should not pick any member of the Senate as a running mate for the same reason Clinton was/is overlooked. Obama ran a primary campaign based on bringing change to Washington. Biden, or any other Senator, would fly against that theme. The country needs a focus on domestic issues and not foreign.

[Elena in NM]

all I can say is if Obama does NOT pick Hillary Clinton for VP, then the 5 of us in my house will support McCain.

We are big Hillary Clinton supporters and Obama OWES that spot to Hillary - so he can kiss us good-bye if he does not chose her.

[james]

Oh Please!! Last 100 days? I'm so sick of doomsday people -- why don't you go catch a comet somewhere and catch up with your brain. Obviously it's out there in more ways than one.

[Tom Hinton]

I don't believe B.O. will choose Governor Kaine for various reasons, part of which is that it gives him nothing in the "experience" department relative to foreign affairs, except Trade. Gov Richardson is a strong possibility, but his support of B.O. over Mrs.Clinton makes him a poor choice to soothe the feminists' furor over Mrs. C. That leaves him with former Governor and current U.S. Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana. If he doesnt' actually offer it to Mrs. C. (or he does and she turns it down), it will be one of those two guys.

[Farmer Rob]

Caroline Kennedy is the VP