Ben Smith lists prospective choices for both Democratic candidates. It's a long list. At the bottom of Obama's list is Hillary Clinton.
Pro: Smart, tough, vetted. Could bring her own alienated supporters back to Obama and unite the party.
Con: As divisive a pol as exists in American politics. There is bad blood between the candidates, in no small part because she has suggested Obama is unready to lead.
It's divisiveness -- the "me-at-any-cost" arrogance -- that makes Clinton so unattractive to many. And there is no question about it. Clinton supporters seem to like that quality. But it's not cute, particularly after eight years of Bush's "me-at-any-cost" presidency.
Clinton's list is short. Obama's name is not on it.
As for Pennsylvania, this looks to be as realistic a prediction as any:
The Obama campaign has taken a lot of hits in the past month, but it has also learned a few things. The candidate will spend the right amount of time on the ground in the state. His attention and that of his campaign will not be divided, as it was when the Ohio and Texas primaries fell on the same day. And the Illinoisan has a much more prominent backer in Casey than he had in Ohio, where the state's top Democrats either backed Clinton (as did Governor Ted Strickland and former Senator John Glenn) or sat the race out (as did Senator Sherrod Brown and most House members).
... Clinton's final margin of victory could well be in the five-point range. And if Obama focuses on economic issues -- especially trade policy -- in a smart way, he might yet gain the advantage. For that to happen, however, he must win the endorsement of the Pittsburgh-based United Steelworkers union and the United Mineworkers union that remains a significant force in the state's southwestern counties along the West Virginia border.
