A couple of days ago John McCain released an ad which states that Hillary Clinton is not Obama’s running mate because she spoke hard truths about Obama.
The ad is beyond absurd. McCain is essentially invoking Hillary Clinton’s expertise in judging character and competency. For years conservatives have blasted Hillary Clinton. At one McCain campaign event, a supporter calls Hillary a b****, and McCain simply laughs about it. McCain once chided Senator Clinton for supporting a museum dedicated to Woodstock. Until now he seemed to have no great respect for Mrs. Clinton, but when it suits him he treats her like an expert on Obama’s qualifications to be President and thinks she should be his Vice Presidential nominee. It is patently absurd that Hillary Clinton went from the person that the right loved to hate to an expert on character, judgment and experience and the best Democratic candidate for the Vice Presidency.
As for the real reasons that Hillary was not picked as Obama’s VP, I can imagine that there were a two big ones: her unwillingness to conceed defeat in the primary when she was obviously beaten and Bill Clinton. Senator Joe Biden, who Obama picked to be his running mate, said some things about Obama that weren’t exactly flattering (not personal attacks, but not great either). Senator Obama is willing to have people around him who hold different viewpoints. In fact, when he first entered the Senate he gathered together advisors from across the political spectrum. Once again, this ad is absurd.
