I find that it’s a mistake to treat white women as interchangeable, at least in my house.

The word you’re looking for is “uppity.” Fear not. Help exists.

It would be one thing if Obama were to pick some random woman, a woman who was clearly only on the ticket because she was a woman (e.g., Ferraro, by most accounts). But that’s not the case here. Sebelius has punched all the relevant stops. She’s a two term governor in a red state. Same for Napolitano. Each could make a credible case for being a better candidate than either Clinton or Obama, given the traditional standards for nominee selection.

I think the number of Clinton diehards who would accept Clinton as a VP but not another extremely (read “better”) qualified woman is relatively small, or will be come November. I don’t think Clinton is the sort of charismatic politician that engenders personal loyalty. Her support, I suspect, is support for the available credible female candidate. If there’s another one, I expect that support to shift. If there’s evidence to the contrary–and there really might be; I don’t know–I’d love to see it.

1. But Hagel has great cred as a decorated (and wounded) Vietnam combat vet to trump McCain’s Hanoi Hilton card — Hagel can (and has) said things that would be tricky for Obama to counter on that score. And then there is the women thing — Webb has that article from a few decades ago arguing women should not be in the armed services, or at least nowhere near a combat theatre. Which brings me to point 2.

2. If it is true that women pissed over Hillary’s failure to get the Dem nomination would stay home, then Obama needs a woman possibly more than he needs a soldier on his ticket. Hillary is one possible female choice. I don’t think Richardson helps in either of those two critical ways.

I don’t think Hagel would be that great of a pick for the democratic nomination. He’s conservative in a lot of different ways. He’s socially conservative and he also has a bad track record on the environment. The one thing he does have going for him is that he, unlike the rest of his party and most of the elected Dems, has managed to act like an adult. That maturity qualifies him for a cabinet post, but I really think he’d be a fish out of water in the democratic party. Webb is a little closer to the center. But overall my money is still with Richardson, he sided with Obama when it was iffy and he can help with the latino vote.

Hillary’s recent behavior has, indeed, been atrocious. And I dislike her intensely. But if Obama/Clinton would be the surest route to preventing the McSame Admin, she should be the Veep pick.

Not only should she not be his VP, she deserves to be blown out in a primary challenge when re-election time comes.

There’s no reason, and actually substantial negative, in McCain waiting to see what the Dems do first insofar as his picking Palin as VP, because, no matter who Obama picks, Palin is by far (and I mean far) the best pick for McCain and the GOP, especially in this time of GOP woes. The GOP can be seen as the party of real ‘change’ (albeit I hate that mantra, change, change, bla bla), while not really having to change from GOP core conservative values, which Palin more than represents.

In light of the current oil/energy situation, as well as the disaffected female Hillary voters situation, and growing focus on McCain’s age and health, Palin is more than perfect — now.

(Perhaps Team McCain is already on to this.)