From the context of that speech, I expect Obama was thinking of Dick Cheney - and wanting his audience to do likewise - when he went for the masculine pronoun there.

Cheers,

...he was merely talking about the current VP? Sure, he could have slipped and revealed that it will be a male (big surprise...). Or, he could have just been making a jab at passenger seat occupant of the Oval Office?

Is this what you guys do now? Post crap like this?

How much can you read into something? Damn. You'll know today or tomorrow. Keep your pants on.

Put his pedigree has been called into question by the PUMA police.

Obama was clearly referencing Dick Cheney in those remarks. It is possible that the use of "he" was simply to emphasize the Cheney reference.

indicates that Sen. Obama was referring to his unnamed VP pick when he said 'he'.

I think he would have used 'it' when referring to our current VP Darth Cheney.

For a human/whale hybrid. Or maybe a Sequoia tree.

Goodness, are you really so shocked, shocked, shocked that Obama is going to pick a man for vice president? Duh. This isn't news. Obama is not a progressive; he will not make a progressive choice for vice president, either.

Well, is there one?

Not to get all English majory on y'all, but "he" is okay to use instead of "he or she" in the language while still applying to men and women. And you damn well know not to use "they" for a single person.

Well at least he's not a regressive, which is more than I can say for you.

It is extremely embarrassing. You must have been sick when the penny dropped that BO was obviously referencing Cheney.

It's paper bag time, I'm afraid...

for your head btw... not to barf into

Obama is not a progressive; he will not make a progressive choice for vice president, either.

That would mean then he can pick a fellow moderate like Clinton.

Goodness, are you really so shocked, shocked, shocked that Obama is going to pick a man for vice president?

I guess men aren't qualifed to be progressive for reason of their sex?

For heaven's sake! As I understand it he's supposed to make the announcement on Saturday. So what's the point of all the speculating? Can't people keep their shirts on for a couple of days or so?

This guessing game is titillating, to be sure, but every likely choice, with the possible exception of Richardson, is a yawner at this point.

Besides, Obama's choice of a vice-presidential candidate is NOT going to make a difference. I'm sorry, but it's true. As a poll this morning confirmed, Obama's support has been sliding steadily since the end of the primaries, and now he's well behind McCain. Let's face it folks--Obama is NOT going to win in November if he's down this much now. Frankly, he deserves it. McCain goes on the pit-bull offensive, questioning Obama's experience and abilities, and what does Obama do? He goes on vacation in Hawaii for a week. He runs touchy-feely "positive" ads that say nothing about anything. He flubs the Rick Warren appearance, when everyone said he was going to be a veritable Abraham Lincoln when juxtaposed with McCain's blabbering. Does this guy really want to be president??

Obama's ego got caught up in all the media hype about him during the primary, and he came to see himself as the nation's savior, with victory in November pre-ordained. He never really understood that the primaries were a referendum on Hillary; they were hers to lose, not his to win. Now his position is the reverse, and he doesn't have a clue what to do. That's the only explanation for the terrible, inept campaign he's run so far in the general election.

It's all the more frustrating when you think about what might have been. He would have been an excellent vice-presidential candidate with Clinton in the top spot, and then he would have been a shoe-in for president in 2016. Instead, the Democratic base punted, and now we're going to have four more years of Repuglican rule, this time with a idiot and a lunatic in charge instead of merely an idiot. And, oh, with a newly bellicose Russia that still has a few thousand missiles pointed at us.

Sorry for the screed, everyone, but this was supposed to be the election that reversed eight long years of GOP fiasco. I wish to hell Obama would understand how much is at stake, get off his ass and starting beating down McCain.

3 out of 4 of the "he"s are obviously referencing Cheney. Putting in a "he or she" in for the remaining "he":

branch, he won't

would make the sentence uncomfortable at best. I really, really don't think that this means anything other than the well known fact that Obama likes sentences that sound good.

Obama is NOT behind McCain in any polls. He is still ahead in all polls. Wait until the general elction really starts.

Good one!

"any other potential vice president who answers to "her.""

So..Rudy is out then?

I think it would be very funny if the person he chooses for VP is not even on the media's top short list. I hope he flies them all into just to keep all the media guessing, since they don't seem think there are any other pressing issues to report.

Obama doesn't need a woman VP to address feminist issues. Obama does not need a forergn policy expert. I consider Obama an expert on foreign policy and that is the main reason I am supporting Obama.

The media seems to have twisted the whole importance of a VP pick for McCain to Obama. This started out as an important concern for McCain because of his AGE. Now conservatives through the the media have turned this onto Obama's pick trying to portray Obama as young & inexperienced. He's older and just as experienced Bill Clinton when he ran in 92.

AnnieW, that's silly--of course there are plenty of progressive men out there. And maybe Obama will pick one as his running mate. But I doubt it. And I'm quite certain he won't pick a woman. That's why I thought this piece of "news" wasn't so much news.