The choice of a vice presidential running mate is often the first public decision that a presidential nominee makes. It is a real decision, but also a highly symbolic one; it communicates much about how the candidate will lead as a president. What Sen. Barack Obama has been saying and doing throughout his campaign provides a framework for his choice of a VP:
• Judgment is a critical factor in leadership. Experience is meaningless if it doesn't reflect sound judgment.
• Leaders are called to serve. They are raised up by the masses; they do not impose their leadership from above.
• The American people are not stupid and deserve to be treated with respect; they see through pandering ploys and respond favorably to someone willing to tell them the truth, even when it isn't what they want to hear.
• Our political system is broken, and we need to abandon politics-as-usual and restore civility to the process.
• The past electoral strategies used by both parties are divisive, obsolete, and ineffective. This election will be won by empowering voters and welcoming new people into a party that is inclusive.
If Obama chooses a VP consistent with this framework, he will choose someone whose judgment he respects; who understands the notion of leadership as service rather than entitlement; who is willing to both campaign and lead at a higher level of respect for both opponents and the voters; and can embrace new political strategies, both in the election process and in governing.
If Obama chooses a VP consistent with his campaign messages so far, he will be willing to make a choice that is more about how that vice president will contribute to his leadership team in the White House and less about how that VP will contribute to a traditional general election strategy, confident that voters will respond to authentic leadership. He will be willing to make a bold and surprising choice.