Much sturm and drang on the Interwebs today about reported rumors that Barack Obama's Veepsquad have started vetting former Bush Administration Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman as a potential running mate.
The American Thinker is not happy, declaring:
I would give her chances of being chosen at 100-1 but the fact that Obama's vetters are even looking at Ann Veneman, former Bush Agricultural Secretary, proves that the Democrats are looking more for symbolism over substance in their choice of running mate.
Folks here at the Great Orange Satan (a/k/a "Buy Markos's Book Dot Com") are not happy either.
And I'll admit, this idea superficially seems like some sort of Dr. Who alien conspiracy.
But, just for a little historical perspective, I'd like to remind everyone that we've been here before.
Did you know that Franklin Roosevelt's Vice President during World War II, Henry Wallace, was a former Agriculture Department Secretary and a (former) Republican?
Moreover, like Wallace, Veneman is now a supporter of increased American humanitarian involvement in the world, as Executive Director of UNICEF.
Now to be sure, one should not confuse Henry "Century of the Common Man" Wallace with Ann "No to Small Farm Subsidies" Veneman. And, Wallace later rubbed FDR the wrong way, which is why he got canned and replaced by Harry Truman on the 1944 ticket.
Moreover, the Department of Agriculture is much bigger than it used to be when the New Deal was just getting going. And, for those who still question whether that is adequate experience to be President, I would add that Ann Veneman has already been in the chain of Presidential Succession before -- and not too far down the line, either (she was 9th in line, just behind Don Rumsfeld, Alberto Gonzales, and Don Evans).
Now, I can think of many Democrats with more experience and qualification to be Vice President, but I wouldn't dump on Obama for picking Veneman.
Nevertheless, Obama's consideration of Ann Veneman is not as crazy as it may seem. It has strong historical precedent. It's an outside-of-the-box idea, but hardly a loony-bin notion.
Discuss.