Reading Kate's rundown of potential VP candidates left my jaw on the floor more than once. As a strong Obama leaner, I was especially appalled. Seriously, Dianne Fienstein? First of all, on the merits she's awful, a wet on many issues even though she has a safe seat (cf. most recently her casting the decisive vote to let Southern-fried Bork Leslie Southwick onto the federal appeals court and her vote for an idiotic flag-burning amendment.) I could live with that if -- and this is the most important aspect of choosing the second member of a ticket -- she could bring a state along, but Feinstein of course comes from a state the Democrats will already win. What's the point? I like the idea of having a woman on the ticket, but he can do a lot better. Like Kate, I also don't understand Clinton "balancing" the ticket with another hawk from a state in which the Dems are a mortal lock. Of course, this is from Bill Safire, so hopefully it has no basis in reality. --Scott Lemieux
