"... imagine Bill Clinton in the vice presidential mansion with nothing to do.

Better hide the china because something's gonna break."

Great observation, Mark. And so, so true. Thanks for the laugh and insight.

Our election campaign has not been a long national nightmare. It's a tough, messy, long, fabulous event and I, for one, wouldn't trade it for anything. You might appreciate Russia's recent presidential elections. Now there is a nice and clean, tidy little affair.

I think an Obama-Hillary ticket would be terrible. Sure it might bring the Ds together but it would also energize the Rs. Study after study has found that voters do not vote for the VP candidate--anyone think Dan Quayle brought votes to the 1988 ticket?

Another negative is that the Hillary-Bill combination could overshadow Obama, and no one has ever been able to control Bill.

I agree with Charlene's comments. If Hillary is on the ticket with Barack, you have the strongest, most vetted candidate with 18 million voters and the fastest path to party unity. Hillary's supporters accept and like Barack, but Barack's supporters are not open to a dream team ticket. Barack with his thin resume, unsavory relationships with business friends and hate-filled pastors coupled with his lack of foreign policy experience needs someone older and wiser to balance out the ticket and appease both sides of a very divided Democratic party and country. If Barack is such a savvy communicator and politician with a strong inner circle,he can reign in Bill and set the boundaries with Hillary. It's not how the winner wins, but how the loser loses. If Hillary goes out unhappy after earning a VP slot in the closest primary ever, we will all be saying "President McCain" for 4 years and the Democratic glory will vanish for now.

Intriguing question, what I would do if I was on Obama's communications team. Here's my take: Obama cannot afford to choose Clinton. It would reinforce one of his major weaknesses, that he is seen as the inexperienced candidate. Being bullied into making Clinton his VP would be an image disaster, from a PR perspective. Clinton is too prominent, too polarizing, and a complete wildcard when it comes to the media. Not to mention it would derail the messaging of change that got him this far.

Others on his team might think it makes strategic sense to offer her the position given her wide and deep support with a demographic he hasn't clicked with yet, but that wouldn't be my concern as a PR person on his team. Aside from that, the election is five months away and if he can blaze a trail and actually focus on connecting with these voters by reversing some of the bad imagery of him left over from the campaign (the effete bowler; the elite liberal; the junior senator with little foreign policy experience that would be bullied by terrorists; etc. etc.) then he has a great chance. Choosing Clinton would hurt, not help this effort to reverse his negatives.

Plus, putting him on a stage with McCain, there is no chance he'll lose debates, just not going to happen minus a major gaffe on his part, and the tough campaigning has seasoned him.

I think the WSJ editorial put it best today: If he can't handle the Clintons, how will he handle Ahmedinijad?

To offer her the VP slot would be a potentially campaign-crippling PR disaster.

You can like Hillary all you wish, but after the comments she repeatedly made during her campaign about Obama's ability (or in her apparent opinion, lack therof) to be an effective President, it's nothing short of gross hypocrisy for her to now say she'd consider becoming his vice-president.

The fact is, Hillary's campaign was, for all intents and purposes, over quite early on, and the nonsense with Michigan was just one of many demonstrations of her utter desperation and refusal to accept reality. It also showed that her real focus was not what was best for the Democratic party's chances to win the election, or by extension, what would be best for the American people, but instead what served her own over-blown ego.

The differences, on vitually every level between Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton are so immense and so defined, that it would be nothing short of lunacy for Obama to take her on as the vice-president.

Unfortunately, this post is quite correct, Hillary has no intention of accepting defeat gracefully, but will instead likely continue to get in the way of what could finally be a positive, collaborative and effective Democratic Presidency.

I do not envy Barak Obama's dilemma here, but I sincerely hope he figures out a way to get the Clinton monkey off his back delicately, so he can do what his (and Hillary's) party's representatives have charged him with doing. If Clinton actually was the kind of public-minded politician she portrays herself as, she would bow out quietly and save everyone a lot of unnecessary trouble.

Think beyond the election: If she were your VP, you'd have Bill to deal with on a daily basis. He's a loose cannon that no one can control (even and including his wife during her campaign).

Promise her a Cabinet post: I would suggest Secretary of Health and Human Services. She would shine there. It would give her the opportunity she's "always" wanted: to implement universal health care. If she succeeded, she would have a place in history (and would be well positioned for another run at the White House).

With David Axelrod directing traffic, this could be positioned as an offer she couldn't refuse. (And if Bill got out of line, the Cabinet post could be withdrawn.)

I've had personal experience with Hillary Clinton as a U.S. Senator representing New York, and I've been impressed with her ability to be a champion for the concerns of her constituents. If I were looking to implement big changes, I'd certainly welcome the help of someone who knows how to get things accomplished and is familiar with how the "old" system works. She could be a tremendous asset.

I find the entire premise of your post most offensive. Hillary Clinton is and was a good candidate, supported widely by millions of people. She did nothing wrong. Just because the media amplified (way too early) calls to resign and you're sick of it, is absolutely no reason why she could not keep going until the numbers were impossible. I am thankful that she ran, and for her tireless spirit.

My first instinct would be to find a new job. I do wonder, however, if the word "change", his motto, could work to his advantage in not picking her as his running mate. Again, this would have to be handled delicately as well, but it may offer the best solution.