Obama's Choice

Every presidential election cycle we get caught up in a veepstakes frenzy -- vacilating between treating the decision as make-it-or-break-it for each party's ticket to acknowledging it's hard to prove what, if any impact the VP nominee makes in terms of votes in November. One of the reasons Senator Obama's decision was seemingly tougher than most is that he would have been the best Democratic VP pick. The process of selecting a running-mate underscored the reality that Obama is ill-positioned at the top of the ticket.

A lot of people who believe as I do that the DNC has made a mistake in pushing Obama as its presidential nominee will take pot shots at Senator Biden today. I was hoping (but not expecting) that Obama would show some transformational-type leadership and choose Senator Clinton as his VP, but he didn't. However, the problem with this selection rests with Barack Obama not Senator Biden.

"In naming my colleague and friend Sen. Joe Biden to be the vice presidential nominee, Sen. Obama has continued in the best traditions for the vice presidency by selecting an exceptionally strong, experienced leader and devoted public servant," Clinton's statement read. "Sen. Biden will be a purposeful and dynamic vice president who will help Sen. Obama both win the presidency and govern this great country."

- Senator Hillary Clinton, whose historic 2008 presidential campaign collected 18 million primary votes.