Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama may be running as an agent of change, but two of his top choices for a running mate are firmly entrenched in Washington.
According to media reports Sens. Joseph Biden Jr. of Delaware and Evan Bayh of Indiana are the most likely picks, although Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine has also been included in most of the short lists attributed to campaign insiders.
Unless Obama selects Kaine or Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, another Democrat political observers say may be in the running, the ticket will be comprised of two senators from a Congress that has racked up historically low marks.
Chris Kofinis, former communications director for Democrat John Edwards’ presidential bid, said a double bill from the Senate “could complicate the change message.”
Both Bayh and Biden have foreign policy credentials that would help fill gaps in Obama’s resume.
Speculation about Biden increased on Tuesday, with top political pundits, like the Time magazine’s political guru Mark Halperin, declaring him to be Obama’s choice.
Biden, 66, of Delaware, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is famous for grilling Bush administration officials about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Biden traveled to the war-torn nation of Georgia this week to consult with leaders on how to deal with invading forces from Russia.
“[Biden] would probably insulate Obama from some of the charges that he is weak on foreign affairs, much the same way Dick Cheney did for George Bush eight years ago,” said University of Delaware political science professor Jason Mycoff. “Along with that, he has been thoroughly vetted over the years so all of the problems Biden has had are probably known at this point.”
But Biden, who made failed runs for the Democratic nomination in 1984 and this year, does not bring a swing state into play, as Kaine and Bayh would.
Democratic strategist Peter Fenn said Kaine, 50, is too inexperienced.
“He’s a one-term governor with no foreign policy experience,” Fenn said.
But Fenn says Obama enjoys a close relationship with Kaine and the two work well together. Obama also admires Kaine’s experience as a Roman Catholic missionary in Honduras.
“If he were making the decision on who he likes best, I think he’d go with Kaine,” Fenn said.
But Obama may choose Bayh, 52, who offers both foreign policy and the potential of addition of Indiana to the mix of swing states.
Bayh has been a major player on national security issues since he was elected to the Senate in 1998, serving on both the intelligence and Armed Services committees. Bayh also served as governor of Indiana from 1989 to 1997 and remains popular in the state, as does his father, former three-term Sen. Birch Bayh.
Bayh’s broad range of experience, “is why Bayh is the best choice, in my view,” said University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato.
And he lacks two of Biden’s major flaws, Sabato said, a garrulous personality and a state that is already safely in the Democrats’ victory column.
“He could potentially commit serious gaffes,” Sabato said. “He has certainly done so in the past, because he is not careful about what he says.”
