Is it "wishful thinking" for Republicans to imagine that Obama will take Hillary as his running mate? CNN's Ed Henry thinks so. He made the comment to anchor Heidi Collins in a report on the veepstakes during CNN's 9 AM EDT hour today.
HEIDI COLLINS: Another name keeps bubbling up: Hillary Clinton. Ed Henry is on the VP watch yet again today. Alright, so what do you think today, Ed? Because I know yesterday it might have been different.
ED HENRY: Well it's interesting. You mentioned Hillary Clinton. This name has been surfacing over the last 24 hours. Some Democrats, but frankly I've also heard it from some Republicans. Because they, strategists in both parties, are saying wait a second. We thought Barack Obama was going to roll this out a couple of days ago, maybe a little sooner. Now it seems to be getting closer to the convention. Is it a surprise? Is it someone with a lot of name ID? Someone he doesn't need to spend a lot of time rolling out and introducing to the American people. Frankly I think some Republicans are spreading this because it's some wishful thinking on their part. Because they know she's also a lightning rod. She did get 18 million votes in the primaries. She brings some real strengths to the table, but she also could really rally conservatives if she was on the ticket and could give conservatives sort of a spark to turn out for John McCain. So there might be some wishful thinking there. We have gotten no new reporting suggesting she's vaulted to the top of the short list.
View video here.
My two cents say most Republicans want no part of Hillary on the ticket:
At the beginning of the month, I suggested Hillary not be ruled out and that she might start looking very good to Obama "if by the time of the Dem convention, McCain has edged ahead among registered voters." Well, that's exactly what has happened, as per Zogby.
Is it wishful thinking? Not on this Republican's part. I would prefer to see Obama take a bland choice like Bayh or Kaine, or a wild card like Biden. Yes, Hillary will fire up some conservatives, but Obama's shenanigans already have most plenty motivated. On the other hand, as I wrote on August 2nd:
Consider on the other hand if at the convention Obama sprung the surprise announcement that Hillary would be the VP. Massive thunderbolt. Wall to wall coverage. McCain's message wiped from the radar screen for a week. Dem party revved to the max. Fundraising through the roof. Feminists enthralled. And putting the shoe on the other foot, if you're a McCain backer, aren't you hoping he takes a Tim Kaine? Wouldn't a Hillary nomination send a shiver of anxiety?
Your thoughts?
