http://news.yahoo.com/s/realclearpolitics/20071226/cm_rcp/has_hillary_found_her2Polls show McCain running the best against all potential Democratic opponents, and particularly well versus Clinton. McCain against Clinton would be a tough race for Clinton, as she would be on the short end of various measures with voters, including perceptions of character, warmth, humor, authenticity, military background, and experience.
So how do you run against a war hero and a former prisoner of war? Well, with one of your own, albeit a younger one -- a Medal of Honor winner, and a man who lost a leg in Vietnam: Bob Kerrey. Add to this that Kerrey has a reputation as the "good Kerrey" (as opposed to the haughty John), and has a reputation as a budget-balancing Midwestern moderate. Kerrey would help the ticket in the most competitive Midwestern states where the election is likely to be decided: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Ohio, and maybe Pennsylvania.
There would be a juicy irony in all this, if it happens. Bob Kerrey ran against Bill Clinton for the Democratic nomination for President in 1992. Kerrey's key backer was New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. When Moynihan retired from the Senate, Hillary Clinton succeeded him in New York. As a Senator, Kerrey had an icy relationship with President Bill Clinton, at one point calling him an "unusually good liar" after Clinton made certain commitments to Kerrey about future spending cuts in order to win his vote (the decisive one) on a tax increase package in 1993. Clinton never followed through on the spending cuts.
As to the objection that Hillary Clinton and Bob Kerry are both New York State residents, and according to the 12th Amendment, New York State's Electoral College voters could not therefore vote for both, that problem is easily solved by having Kerrey switch his registration back to Nebraska (or any other state) early next year. A similar issue was raised about George Bush and Dick Cheney both being Texas residents in 2000 (when Cheney ran Halliburton), but Cheney was officially a Wyoming resident at election time.
In the last few weeks, there have been stories about how the Clinton White House would operate if Hillary won, and how Bill, as the power behind the throne, might intimidate Cabinet members and advisors. These stories have not helped Hillary, who has fallen behind in head-to-head races with most potential GOP opponents. There is nothing fresh or new (and no real change agent material) about a Clinton restoration and rehashing the very complicated relationship between Bill and Hillary. The man generally considered the world's neediest narcissist would not meekly disappear within a Hillary White House.
But what if Bob Kerrey would be there as the VP? Trying to navigate the psychodrama of the Hillary-Bill relationship at that point, and how the presence of a new strong man around Hilary would impact this, is better left for the psychiatric couches of America. But if Kerrey helped Hillary to get elected, and Bill were his usual double edged sword in that contest, the relationship might change even before an inauguration.
But most important for Hillary is getting elected. This is a woman who has been laser focused on that goal for decades. If Bob Kerrey is the man who brings the most to the ticket, expect it to happen, whatever Bill might think about it.
* I thank my wife Lijana for suggesting Kerrey as the ideal running mate for Hillary.
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