Hillary for Veep...? NO!

(Late added note: Corrente is back!)

U.S. News and World Report claims that Obama's low job approval rating (43% -- a worse number than that earned by any previous president at this stage) -- might tempt him to ask Hillary Clinton to take Joe Biden's place as Vice President.

I find that suggestion hilarious: Four years ago, the Obots embarked on a propaganda barrage designed to convince voters that the Clintons are evil racists. Now the Obama team wants Hillary to bail out our sorry failure of a president. Well, it won't work.

People are angry about many things right now, but Joe Biden is not one of them. Switching him out would be like putting a new paint job on an exploding Pinto.

Besides, the choice of running mate has little impact on the voters' feelings about the man at the top of the ticket. Look at Quayle in 1988. Look at Cheney in 2004. Hell, how many people truly liked Bush back in 1980 and 1984...?

A veep switch now will simply make Obama look desperate and weak. Biden is not terribly beloved, but neither is he despised. If he gets the sack, everyone will understand that Obama is flailing like a de-ponded trout.

I don't think that the Republicans will be silly enough to choose Newt. If they make so hideous an error, Obama may yet win re-election. The GOP base dislikes Romney, but Republicans will eventually reconcile themselves to him: They need someone who can win.

If the Dems want a chance, the leaders of the party need to plead with Obama to step down. At the same time, they must plead with Hillary to step up.

I'm not a blinkered Hillary supporter -- frankly, I'm still angry at her -- but the situation is what it is. Only Hillary Clinton can galvanize what we might call the "99 percent" vote. Only she can bring back the sense of optimism and enthusiasm that was foolishly wasted on the Obama campaign in 2008.

Even if her campaign failed, she could return the party to its New Deal ideals -- and subsequent opposition to a President Romney would not be mired in a pointless defense of Barack Obama's pointless presidency.

(Who should be Hillary's veep? Now there's a fun thought experiment...! I'd like John Conyers.)