At her Baruch College event in NYC just a few days ago, Hillary Clinton added her name to a Major League Baseball that was inscribed by the famous New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra with the quote: “It ain’t over till it’s over.” Bill Clinton also signed his name to the ball. I am offering it on ebay today, with a portion of the proceeds going to charity. This Yogi Berra quote summarizes the essence of the Clintons’ drive to win and their spirited campaign style. Don’t count them out from politics just yet.

When you try to sell something on every thread, it's called SPAM.

Spiro Agnew apparently had at least one grocery bag full of cash delivered to him in Washington, during his time as Vice President. I read this decades ago, in a federal court document. The guy who delivered it was a road-builder from Agnew's home state of Maryland.

The nominee chooses his/her VP before people vote, not after. People get to vote for the VP. Cabinet appointments, SCOTUS appointments, EPA appointments - those are undemocratic. In some cases, the VP choice makes a difference in whether "the People" vote for someone. I helped Gore lose his home state in 2000 in part because the Liebermans and Tipper made him smell like a censorship ticket. If he had picked another environmentalist, I would probably have voted for him (though, speaking of undemocratic, it would have made no difference at all).

That's why it will be Michael Bloomberg.

Go back a bit farther in US history and you'll get to the time, before the 12th Amendment was adopted, when the Electoral College elected the VP as the runner-up to the winning Presidential candidate.

That didn't work out so well in the election of 1800, which put TJ's nemesis Aaron Burr in the number 2 slot. Burr has gone down in history as the only sitting Vice President who actually aimed at and killed the guy he shot (that being his dueling partner Hamilton, the face on the $10 bill).

Burr was acquitted of murder in 1804, and three years later was acquitted of treason for his mysterious maneuvers in the Louisiana territory with his personal militia; all the same, history has not looked kindly on him.

In the end, the VP ought to work with the President, not against her. (Wishful pronoun thinking, there; one of these days, just not today.) If the presidential candidates can't make that call, maybe they shouldn't be elected, don't you think?

If the Dem. convention were to choose the Veep this year, odds are they would go with HRC as a runner-up prize: shades of Burr and Jefferson. Anyone who thinks VP Clinton would work well with Pres. Obama, please raise your hand.

Or Barbara Walters. Or what other wise white woman without Hillary's baggage? If McCain picks Condi, Barack will look pale if he has just another male in a blue suit on his ticket.

VOTED against the war as a Rep in the US House, unseated a two-term Republican Senator in '06, ran on a largely economic platform (even though he could've used his Iraq vote as a cudgel), kicked ass among the working-class vote and even did surprising well in rurual areas, hails from a large battlegroud/blue collar state, has a very Liberal voting record, and last but not least, is realtively young and attractive ... i.e., will make for a good nominee in 2016.

Sorry, but other than Hillary herself, I'm un-impressed by the names I've seen floated around. Webb? Nunn? Even Bloomberg? Do we really want to have to deal with such conservatives who will cave into Republicans on numerous issues? Do you really want one of those guys as the head of the party come '16? Rendell? Strickland? Yeah, nice governors, but these guys will be seventy years old by the time of '16. Seibelius? McCaskill? Hey, I don't think Obama has to pick Clinton, but c'mon, picking another woman will be the ultimate slap in the face and potentially suicidal. And let's be honest, McCaskill has been a major surrogate since Day 1 and she BARELY delivered Mizzou for him. And Sebelius is from KS. Is that really a "key" state that Obama can't win on his own? And sorry, I'm not sold on Bill Richardson delivering the Latino vote. He was horrible on the stump, and whether you were a Clinton supporter or not, he proved himself to be a bit of turncoat.

At the outset let me say that I do not support the candidates or platform of either major party. These comments are simply an attempt to think through the question Shapiro poses.

Obama will only find closure for his campaign and his party from charges of sexism leveled by the Clinton campaign by choosing another strong, accomplished female leader over Hillary herself. This strategy is essential to silence the incessant media infatuation with disenfranchisement of "Hillary's 18 million voters", and will demonstrate an early leadership victory in his ability to cleverly unite a divided party. It will also create substantial media attention by the prospect of another historical constraint being shattered, especially since Obama is virtually certain to be the next president.

This leaves Obama one choice: Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius

Obama's choice of Sebelius would reject the idea that a VP candidate must bring state electoral votes and often tradeoffs in qualifications to be considered. She is also not so nationally prominent as to further diminish Obama's limited experience by contrast. Sebelius will instead affirm Obama's core message of change and unity. She is compatible with his candidacy for several reasons, although there are many more beyond these:

• Substantive executive experience

• Unifying, bipartisan reputation in Kansas

• No elitist branding

• Endorsed Obama very early

• Pro-choice

Sebelius was considered in 2004 by John Kerry. Carville and Clark have both publicly named her as an intelligent choice, further positive factors for current Clinton backers. Sebelius' term limit requires her to leave the governor's position by 2010.

The logic of an Obama - Sebelius ticket is compelling.

As a Mansfield native, I would be thrilled with Sherrod. But all these great, trail-blazing politicians really need to stay in office. I like Wesley Clark for the job, but I'm guessing Obama will pick someone most people have never heard of.