Prediction Time

Last December I went out on a limb and endorsed Sen. Obama and predicted Sen. McCain as the Republican candidate. Its time to look again and read the tea leaves.

Who are the VP candidates going to be?

Sen. McCain needs money, youth and religious right appeal. Enter Mitt Romney.

Romney has the connections to the financial establishment (who are going to panic at the prospect of having to stop raping the country) and a resume on Wall Street, though he mostly sold off what others had built. McCain has said he doesn't know that much about economics, so this seems like a no-brainer. The religious right think he is one of them, though oddly. And lets face it, he's decades younger than McCain and there have been plenty of whispers about a shortened or single McCain administration.

Besides, who else is morally bankrupt enough to be a pit bull for McCain and shamelessly pander? Mitt is their man.

The Obama decision is a bit tougher, IMHO. The traditional thinking is out the window. Hillary? Seems like a natural choice ordinarily, but how do you stand for change and then go back to the very era we are trying to move past? At best it would look like a political calculation. At worst, it looks hypocritical and that could ultimately be the deciding factor.

So who?

My votes are going to either Sen Webb or Gov Richardson. Webb has strong military credentials and comes from the South, though also relatively new to Washington. Richardson brings an appeal that has eluded Sen Obama - the Latin Vote - with the added bonus of very strong foreign policy and diplomatic experience.

I wake up smiling at the prospect of Sen. Edwards, but I just don't see it happening. He seems too easy a target for the right smears, but God help me, I love him.

My friend Pat thinks Gen Wesley Clark has a shot and I agree. His success in Bosnia could go a long way to addressing the Iraq problem and many of us forget how opposed the right was to go to Bosnia. This is the guy who made it work. My take is he is too close to Hillary and Bill Clinton.

And to go off on a tangent for a moment, RIP my respect for President Bill Clinton. After Hillary injected race into a primary (WV) she was going to win big, he would have pounced on her had she been anyone else. So long big dog. I will keep my fond memories, though they are pretty much clouded by Don't Ask, Don't Tell and DOMA.

So final thought? Here is the 08 race:
McCain/Romney V Obama/Richardson

NB: Forgot to throw in my wild card prediction: Obama/Hagel
I have this sneaking suspicion that the former Republican Senator from Nebraska (as white and white collar as you can get), outspoken Bush/War critic, respected militarily, environmentally sensitive and reformer Chuck Hagel is going to be the VP candidate for Sen. Obama. Would throw the process completely off its track and send a very strong signal that he means change for real.

Watch this story and remember who predicted it.