Obama Veep-stakes update.

So, at last hypothesis, SM and I had this list:

Senators: Biden, Clinton, Dodd, Webb
Former Senators: Edwards, Mitchell, Nunn, Daschle
Governors: Bredesen, Sebelius, Kaine, Napolitano, Richardson
Generals: Jones, Clark

Add to that:
Senator: Bayh
House Members: Edwards (Chet)

Webb and Biden said they don’t want to be considered. Edwards (John) has other plans. Richardson isn’t viable because of his philandering past. Jones and Clark have pretty much taken themselves out, either by attending a McCain event or making ill-advised comments about him.

That leaves Clinton, Dodd, Mitchell, Nunn, Daschle, Bredesen, Sebelius, Kaine, Napolitano, Edwards (Chet) and Bayh.

Dodd has shady mortgage issues. Nunn has that whole “don’t ask, don’t tell” debacle. Plus, they are both old and don’t fit the Obama narrative or the profile he is trying to develop. Ditto Mitchell (as admirable as his work is – he is, after all, a fellow GULC alum [an evening student, too or so I am told]). “Old” says that Obama is insecure about his inexperience and needs an “establishment” veep to back him up. I don’t think that’s the message Obama wants to develop, so anyone who’s been around for a long, long time may be out for that very reason.

And I just can’t see Obama picking a woman. Too much “change”. He doesn’t want to scare the average voter (who is, I am sure, very average) by presenting a radical ticket. I may be wrong about this. In fact, I would be glad to be wrong. But I’m gonna call it: Obama is not picking a woman. So Clinton, Sebelius, and Napolitano are out.

Now we’re down to Daschle, Bredesen, Kaine, Edwards and Bayh. Am I missing anyone? I think Chris Matthews floated John Kerry on Hardball, but that, in my opinion, is laughable.

I like and admire Daschle. He’s got good leadership cred and is the kind of soft-spoken, thoughtful (that is, not knee-jerk reactionary) politician that would go well with Obama’s style. Sadly, however, Daschle lost his Senate seat when he was the Democratic leader. If your state won’t re-elect you when you’re sitting that high up in the leadership, well, then, that doesn’t bode well for your future in politics. It just looks – and is – bad.

So Bredesen, Kaine, Edwards and Bayh. Don’t know much about Bredesen. But all four of them fit the profile of southern(ish), moderate dems to balance the ticket. None are too old or too establishment. A governor would be good. Kaine might be able to deliver Virginia. Plus, he’s termed out and cannot run for gov again. And Bredesen. That’s Tennessee. Who knows if he could deliver the state. I just don’t know enough about him period. And, no one knows Edwards, being a House member and having never held a statewide office. He has no national profile, so that may take him out of the running. Plus, lots of folks might vomit at the thought of electing another white guy from Texas (whose politics are definitely different than the current resident at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., but if Obama is about change… well, it’s a harder sell with a white guy from Texas on the ticket). And picking a sitting senator is tricky business. Indiana has a republican governor, so the Obama folks need to take the balance of power in the Senate into consideration (‘cuz you need 60 senators behind you in order to really get work done).

So where does that leave us? Who knows?

I am sure there must be others that the Obama camp is considering that aren’t generally being pundited about. I am equally as sure that they will be looking for unconventional, “outside of the box” (or beltway?) types. That’s another reason why Clinton, Dodd and Biden would be out of the mix.

I guess we’ll find out soon enough. At least this process won’t last as long as the primaries. They’ve got an August deadline and a date in Colorado.