The speculation on Obama's choice for veep is running amok at this hour as conventional wisdom has it that the Illinois senator will pick his running mate Saturday in his homestate's capital of Springfield. Fortunately, many pundits still list Senator Evan Bayh, from neighboring Indiana, as one of the leading contenders.
Evan Bayh is about as squeaky clean as the come. But don't let the "aw shucks" demeanor deceive you. He is extremely erudite, and eloquent.What would he add to the ticket? For one...the state of Indiana. That's no small feat, because no Democratic presidential candidate has carried the Hoosier state since the LBJ landsline of 1964.Bayh also brings some foriegn policy expertise that Senator Obama is unfairly perceived to be lacking. PLUS, Bayh is Hillary Clinton, minus the baggage. He has the appeal to solidly bring in that wing of the party. Finally, he has the executive experience, should he, God forbid, have to unexpectantly step in as president. He was Indiana's governor for 8 years before getting sent to Washington.Bayh's drawback, and it is a big one, is his early support of the war. Trust me, as a native Hoosier, it pissed me off tremendously. But, like John Edwards and John Kerry, Bayh has almost made amends by becoming vehement critics if the war and President Bush later on.One shouldn't question Bayh's liberal credentials. Don't forget his father, Senator Birch Bayh, was an outspoken critic of the Vietnam War and was one of the sponsors of the amendment lowering the voting age from 21 to 18.Anyway...I digress.Let's make it Obama-Bayh 2008.