Christopher John Dodd is the least obvious choice for Obama’s vice president. Which is why he probably will get the nod.
The obsession with picking a v.p. based on geography, region, or balancing of the ticket, seems quite outdated for this era.
Marc Ambinder reported on May 27th:
I know that Sen. Chris Dodd wants to be among those vetted by Sen. Barack Obama's veepstakes team, and to that end, the identity of his new chief of staff is interesting. It's Miles Lackey, formerly John Edwards's Senate chief of staff and one of the North Carolinian's closest advisers. It was Mr. Lackey, a National Security Council aide during President Clinton's administration, who Edwards trusted to shepherd him through the vice presidential rigmarole in 2004. Mr. Lackey was successful. He knows the tricks; it was he who arranged a top-secret late-night meeting with John Kerry just a few days before Kerry made his choice. The Edwards family was at Disney World; Lackey figured out how to sneak them up to Washington without a ravenous press corps getting so much of a whiff of the movement.
Also, Hillary Clinton’s unusual gambit in not yet conceding, while openly encouraging her supporters to petition and pressure Obama to put her on the ticket, makes it impossible for him to do so, as it would be viewed as weak and caving in to such egregious pressure. He must stand up to it, and find the best candidate through the usual vetting process, and pick the person he feels is best. That is a choice he must make on his own, and it’ll be his first presidential level decision.
That’s the way Bill Clinton did it in 1992 when he had Warren Christopher, Vernon Jordan, and Madeleine Kunin do the vetting of his short list.
The best pick in my lifetime was Bill Clinton picking Al Gore. Clinton didn’t pick a northerner, or someone more liberal than him to balance the ticket. Instead he picked a fellow moderate "new Democrat" from a neighboring state. They are practically the same age. Gore did fill in a number of substantial gaps in Clinton’s standing. Gore brought foreign policy experience, and leadership on the environment.
And most importantly he lent the ticket gravitas. He made Clinton credible.
Chris Dodd is gravitas. He has experience. He was elected to the House in 1974, and to the Senate in 1980. He’s an Irish Catholic. He’s 64 years old with white hair. He’s chair of the banking committee, important in a year when the bad economy is a key issue. He’s on the foreign relations committee, as international policy and Iraq loom large. He speaks fluent Spanish and served in the Peace Corps. He served in the Army Reserve. His father was key Nuremberg prosecutor. He was even Bill Clinton’s General Chairman of the Democratic party.
Of course the Northeast should already be locked up by Obama. But, Obama has to win over some core groups within the party. Older voters, women, Jews, and button up more support among labor. (Dodd is close with IAFF, having won the endorsement of the fire fighters during his presidential run.)
If polls show that Dodd helps with older voters in Pennsylvania, and especially Florida, and with Catholic working class voters, I think he becomes a likely pick, for one other crucial reason:
Who would Obama trust to become president during a crisis? Dodd has the experience and leadership that would inspire respect and confidence. He has stood up to Bush and weak Democrats on FISA immunity. He has fought for restoration of our Constitution and habeas corpus. He fought against John Bolton as U.N. ambassador. His environmental plan was praised by Al Gore. He’s a respected leader, in the mainstream of the Democratic party. There is no doubt of his ability and intellect. And he’s the total opposite of Dick Cheney. Plus, he can help Obama govern, and navigate legislation through the congress.
I like many of the other names mentioned, from Jim Webb, Kathleen Sebelius, Bill Richardson, John Edwards, or even a Clinton backer such as Evan Bayh would be alright. But, I think Obama is going to look at the best overall qualities a candidate offers.
When you really look at all of the qualities you want in a Vice President, and potential President, is there really anyone better than Christopher J. Dodd?