I don't know why presidential candidates choose running mates during the primary season. But it does allow the presidential candidate to choose one of his stronger opponents to run with him on the ticket in the general election to fill in support that he wasn't able to garner in the primary season.

If Obama knows that Hillary won't be the VP, then perhaps he can change this by selecting someone right now. Perhaps Obama can select Ed Rendell, guv of PA. Hillary would have a stroke since Rendell is supporting her as a superdelegate (at this time).

Because Richardson is going after Hill's aides, he is pointing out that these are the people who will run the government- that they would continue to practice “gutter” politics in the WH, with the implication that this is not what we need. We need a leader who will make an effort to work with Repubs. It's time to move beyond the past couple of decades with either a Bush or Clinton in the WH and bring in new talent.

Personally I know first hand the value of bringing in a new manager (or whole team) to bring a fresh set of eyes to look at existing problems and even existing processes. It's easy to continue business as is, particularly if you understand it. But when someone new (or a group of people) is brought in, someone who has the talent and desire to make improvements, then benefits follow.

One of the phrases that struck me in Obama's “A More Perfect Union” speech (his “race” speech) is this, “This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected.” Obama understands that for all the good and greatness of our country, there will always be room to address new concerns of the times. What's important is that we as a country follow a path towards improving ourselves. Richardson gets this, but neither Clinton nor McCain do.