Veepstakes: the Democrats

Here is my ranking of Democratic vice presidential possibilities:

1. Sen. Joe Biden (DE). Foreign policy gravitas; good debater; great personal story; working class Catholic appeal. He can put his foot in his mouth, but the bigger question is: does Obama like him? It looks like he does.

2. Sen. Evan Bayh (IN). Not going to light the world on fire, but Bayh could probably tilt Indiana blue and he matches Obama on the youth/vitality trait, providing a nice counterpoint to McCain. Plus, a lot of experience, and the fact that he was a prominent Hillary supporter helps.

3. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (KS). Obama likes her and she has a good profile for appealing to independents and moderate Republicans. The real question is whether two history-making candidacies is one too many for the ticket.

4. Gov. Ted Strickland (OH). Former minister and congressman. Popular in Ohio. Might be number 1 on the list if he hadn't ruled himself out. Was he being serious?

5. Sen. Jack Reed (RI). Good military and foreign policy credentials. Popular in the Senate.

6. Gen. Anthony Zinni (PA). Haven't heard his name in a while, but looks great on paper. How would he campaign? And would it look like Obama is over-compensating?

7. Former Sen. John Edwards (NC). At first glance, it doesn't make much sense. But seeing the two of them together, it seems to work. Still could use a little more gravitas.

8. Former Sen. Bill Bradley (NJ). Seems like quite the longshot, but he is the only one with the unique combination of Washington experience and outsider, independent appeal. Fully vetted and ready to be president. The media, though, would emphasize the combo of 2 "wine-track" candidates.

9. Former Rep. Dick Gephardt (MO). If only he hadn't become a lobbyist, he would be in the top 3.

10. Gov. Tim Kaine (VA). Obama really likes him, but Obama probably needs someone who has served more than 3 years as governor.

11. Gov. Janet Napolitano (AZ). It would be daring for Obama to make a play for AZ with the state's most popular politician, but it seems more likely that she will get a Supreme Court or AG appointment.

Names in the News That Can't Be Serious Possibilities

12. Former Sen. Sam Nunn (GA). If only it weren't for his past vocal opposition to Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

13. Sen. Jim Webb (VA). Love the military credential, but his past writings and the sense that Chicago could never control him ultimately doom his candidacy.

14. Gov. Bill Richardson (NM). A lot of positive qualities; just a few too many gaffes.

15. Mayor Mike Bloomberg (NY). Seemed to make a lot of sense 3 months ago; not so much now. In a bad economy, being a billionaire doesn't look quite as good.

16. Gov. Ed Rendell (PA). Can't be controlled. And have you seen that Farrakhan video?

17. Sen. Chuck Hagel (NE). A moderate Republican could be considered. Chuck Hagel is not a moderate Republican.

18. Sen. Hillary Clinton (NY). It's not going to happen. If it weren't for Bill ...

19. Former VP Al Gore (TN). Why would he want it unless he would be a co-president? Why would Obama be willing to do that?

20. Gov. Brian Schweitzer (MT). Intriguing, but at the end of the day, just a one-term governor from a very small state.

Veepstakes: the Republicans

Here is my ranking of potential Republican vice presidential possibilities:

1. Sen. John Thune (SD). Yes, most people haven't heard of him. Yes, he's from a small, red state. But he is very popular among conservatives, is young without being too young (I'm talking about you, Gov. Jindal), and is an effective communicator.

2. Gov. Mark Sanford (SC). Of marginal help in the South, but more importantly he has an outsider-ish appeal that would amplify McCain's message. And, he's not coming out of DC (though he used to).

3. Gov. Tim Pawlenty (MN). I think McCain really, really likes this guy. So do social conservatives. But, he barely won each of his elections as governor of Minnesota (and wouldn't have won in 2006 but for an offensive comment made by his opponent the weekend before the election) and Minnesota seems to be firmly in Obama's corner.

4. Fmr. Gov. Mitt Romney (MA). The Great Mentioner is claiming that Romney is at the top of the list which probably only means someone in McCain's camp wants people to think that (i.e., it isn't true). Raises a lot of money, but with only 8 weeks between the Republican convention and Election Day, it's unclear how important that will be. The best case for Romney is that he helps the ticket in MI, CO, and NV. But does McCain like him? Probably not.

5. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX). If McCain wants to make a play for aggrieved Hillary supporters, this is the most plausible female candidate.

6. Gov. Charlie Crist (FL). Might be able to lock up Florida, which would be huge. But will social conservatives rebel?

7. Fmr. Rep. Rob Portman (OH). Popular in the Beltway, but it's doubtful he would make that much of a difference in Ohio, considering he has only been elected by 1/18 of the state.

Names in the News That Can't Be Serious Options

8. Gov. Bobby Jindal (LA). Way too young. Accentuates McCain's biggest problem; doesn't alleviate it.

9. Fmr. Gov. Mike Huckabee (AR). The Huckster would bring some strengths to the ticket, but ultimately, he's too unpalatable for country-club Republicans.

10. Gov. Sarah Palin (AK). Not ready to be president yet. Needs to get to the Senate.

11. Sen. Joe Lieberman (CT). If McCain didn't have problems with his base, maybe. But he has problems with his base.

12. Fmr. Gov. Tom Ridge (PA). Ditto.

13. Gov. Haley Barbour (MS). Maybe if Mitt were the nominee, but Barbour's lobbyist past doesn't work for McCain.

14. Carly Fiorina (CA). Executive pay packages and HP-lawsuits? Cabinet material? Sure. VP? Nope.