DLS, great (and I think accurate) wrap-up on the top VP contenders. Thanks!

Clinton as a choice would have made Obama seem to be knuckling under to the Clinton crowd (even more than to the Dem establishment). Many Clinton voters are undecided and a fifth reportedly will defect to McCain. It was worth the risk. Will the voters who voted for Hillary Clinton (many facing a tough choice) really vote for McCain?

Kaine had his fans but wasn't well enough known. In the end — Yawn.

Bayh screamed “Establishment” and party apparatus _and_ “empty suit” without any rock star celebrity status to appeal to people (Obama's initial problem this year). Yawn. (Not only the play-pen crowd but many others didn't want him as VP.)

Sibelius was the play-pen crowd's favorite for reverse sexist reasons even more than was Hillary Clinton (who had a broader group of supporters all along) but had many fewer fans and people who even know about her than Kaine. Yawn.

Richardson appealed to intellectuals along with Biden but overall was no stronger than Bayh (for different reasons, not the same kind of liabilities). Yawn.

Levin was a lousy Bush-basher; so long, better swing voters would have said. Again, first do no harm. Levin would have not only been no asset, but a liability.

Biden was not only the strongest and best-for-these-times choice, but the logical choice. “Good move — in fact, the best move.” Obama did things right; now it's McCain's turn (he can wait to reveal his “move” at the convention to put some kind of life into it and briefly into the GOP). It puts McCain under the most pressure now. The question most Americans have, is, will McCain's choice matter much, if any?