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How about Vice President Bill Clinton?

Despite numerous online blogs lobbying for an Oprah Winfrey's VP nod (and Sen. Barack Obama himself adding fuel to the fire when he jokingly declared "Three words: Vice President Oprah!" during a Late Night with David Letterman Top 10 countdown last month), Winfrey for VP remains as unlikely an option as Bill Clinton returning to the White House in an official capacity. But as Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton continue to battle it out in primary races across the country, the inevitable question is whom the eventual winner will select as a running mate.

For the sake of this article, let's rule out the possibility of an Obama/Clinton or Clinton/Obama power ticket and look at some of the other possible Democratic candidates. We'll review the likely GOP vice-presidential contenders next week.

Sen. John Edwards

He was quickly dismissed and perceived as a third wheel in the Obama/Clinton faceoff, but Edwards could score big if either candidate believes he retains enough national support to push them over the top. Edwards ran a congenial campaign that was light on personal attacks against both Clinton and Obama, so fence-mending with either candidate would likely not be an issue. Edwards has yet to give his endorsement to either candidate.

Gov. Bill Richardson

Richardson brings two obvious plusses to the table. He has experience as New Mexico's governor and has served as U.S. Ambassador and Secretary of Energy. But more importantly, Richardson would be expected to bring the weight of the Latino vote with him. His endorsement is also being courted by both Obama and Clinton.

Al Gore

Could Gore, now an Academy Award winner and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, be lured back into the political arena for another term as VP? It's a long shot, but there are no Constitutional laws preventing Gore from reassuming his seat in the White House. But "Gore has been there and done that," says The National Ledger. "So it's unlikely that he'd want to go back and be a second banana."

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius

Kansas Gov. Sebelius' recent endorsement of Obama "sent her to the top of his VeeP list" reports the Center for Politics & Culture in Massachusetts. Sebelius' national profile also received a huge boost when she was selected to give the Democratic response to President Bush's State of the Union last month, which shows she has the support of the Democratic leadership. ElectoPundit.com has gone as far as dubbing Sebelius the "white, female Obama."

Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

After flirting with tossing his hat into the race for months, the billionaire mayor from New York is now having his name floated as a possible VP candidate by some pundits. Bloomberg officially changed his party designation from Republican to Independent, meaning he could be seen as a potential running mate not only for the Democratic nominee but the GOP winner as well. Fueling speculation was a recent high-profile breakfast date Bloomberg shared with Obama.

Wesley Clark

Retired Gen. Wesley Clark entertained his own brief presidential run in 2004. Clark sat out this year's contest and tossed his support to the Clinton camp. Several blogs, including Thomas P.M. Barnett's, report that the Clinton campaign staff has discussed the possibility of Clark as a vice-presidential candidate because of his strong security credentials.

David Bositis, senior research associate at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, is convinced that regardless of a Clinton or Obama victory, the vice-presidential candidate will be of a specific race and gender.

"The vice president will be a white man. There's no question about it," Bositis says. "The nominee is going to be groundbreaking whether it's Clinton or Obama, so neither one of them would tempt fate by not having a white man on the ticket."

Who does Bositis think will be named vice president? If Obama is the Democratic nominee, he believes the Illinois senator might lean toward someone like Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia. Says Bositis, "Obama is somewhat weak on national-security credentials and Webb was a decorated veteran similar to John McCain. He was also the former secretary of the Navy under Ronald Reagan and has been against the war from the outset."

Bositis adds that if Virginia turns out to be a critical swing state, having someone like Webb on the ticket would bring an added value.

And if Clinton gets the nod? 

"Hillary could potentially pick someone like Sen. Evan Bayh from Indiana. She doesn't believe she needs as much in the way of foreign policy and defense experience, so that would allow her to pick someone from a Midwestern state."

More Election '08 >>

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