Hillary for Vice President

The only way this election year could get much more exciting is if Hillary Clinton is named as a vice presidential candidate.

I'd say she has a better chance than anyone in the U.S. because she could be the choice of either Barack Obama or John McCain.

For Obama, she is a natural. After all, she got more votes during the Democratic primaries than he did. Because one-quarter of her supporters pledge not to vote for Obama, the Democratic nominee may absolutely need her just to get elected. Surely, those disappointed Dems would be back in the fold if she were on the ticket. However, if Obama does pick her and the ticket wins, he should strictly avoid visits to Fort Marcy Park without a Secret Service contingent.

But if Obama does not pick her, Hillary still has a chance to become vice president. Think about it. Why wouldn't McCain consider her? They aren't that far apart politically. In fact, McCain, Obama and Hillary have co-sponsored 86 pieces of legislation in the U.S. Senate since 2005. They agree on the border. They agree on amnesty. They agree on global warming. They agree on more than they disagree.

Wouldn't this represent the ultimate form of "reaching out" by McCain — the man who loves to work with Democrats, the man who considered switching parties, the man notorious for spending time on the other side of the aisle?

Don't take my word for it. Listen to what Jonathan Chait, a senior editor of The New Republic, had to say: "It is no exaggeration to say that, during this crucial period, McCain was the most effective advocate of the Democratic agenda in Washington."

So why wouldn't the most effective advocate of the Democratic agenda in Washington choose Hillary Clinton to be his vice president?

Would it be a winning ticket? How could it lose? Hillary beat Obama in the popular vote during the primaries.

By now, you probably are thinking: "Has Farah flipped his cork? Has he gone crazy? Is he out of his mind? Why is he suggesting McCain choose Hillary as a running mate?"

The answer is simple: I don't care whom McCain picks. It won't affect my vote. I'm not going to support McCain in any event. So just as a matter of practical politics, McCain, who has lost whatever bloc of votes I represent, needs to go after another bloc of votes. McCain is just the guy to do it. I wouldn't put it past him. Don't think for a minute he hasn't toyed with this idea and had secret discussions with his top advisers about it.

Can you imagine that political coup? Democrats are split. Hillary got the support of most of them in the primaries. If she gets overlooked by Obama as a running mate, McCain picks her.

That's the way this presidential election year is headed. We have no choice now. I suspect the choice will be blurred for many others before all is said and done.

Two Democrats are opposing each other for the two major parties. One is the most liberal voter in the U.S. Senate, and the other is the "most effective advocate of the Democratic agenda in Washington." That's your choice. It could only get more bizarre with Hillary running officially as a Republican vice presidential candidate.

There's another good reason for Hillary to be considered by one of these guys as vice president: Who is more qualified than Hillary Clinton to be in charge of vice?

To find out more about Joseph Farah and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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