The smart money is moving to Virginia Governor Tim Kaine as the lead horse in Barack Obama's veep stakes race, and the yawns can be heard from here to Kalamazoo. I'm sure Kaine is a decent Democrat, a good man. But he's also the blankest of slates, an empty political canvas, and a profoundly disappointing choice.
In fact, he's the non-choice choice - the very closest Obama could come to making no choice at all, shy of a Constitutional amendment.
Kaine may help in Virginia. But let's face it, he's the third most prominent Democrat there at best, many fathoms below Jim Webb and Mark Warner. Nationally, he's in the lower percentile of political heat as well. Kaine's a one-term governor, a former Jesuit missionary, and a well-respected housing lawyer. He's a former City Councilman and Mayor of Richmond, and like Bob Casey, a member of Democrats for Life of America, a pro-life group. All well and good, but no national profile. Most people will respond, "Tim Who?"
It's almost as if the Obama camp doesn't really want the difficulty of a two-person ticket; another human doesn't fit the branding very well. Hard to blame them, really. Remember Joe Lieberman? Dan Quayle?
And, of course, choosing Tim Kaine destroys the unity case in Obama's playbook, but he may not need it - I cannot imagine him losing to John McCain. Still, an Obama-Clinton ticket would surely have been evidence of true commitment to Democratic union, to building a much bigger governing party. Not choosing Hillary and electrifying the party is small-minded, somewhat narrow, and tactically conservative. I can fully understand it, without honoring the motivation. It's not as good for the party or for the nation, perhaps. But the campaign believes it's good for Barack Obama. Safe and sound.
And maybe that's fine.
But say the name "Tim Kaine" aloud a few times. Or "Obama-Kaine." No thrill up the leg? Not mine, anyway. It will probably suffice. And Governor Kaine may be a fine public servant.
But you only get this opportunity once in a political career - one vital choice, one opportunity to unify. And the non-choice choice...well, it's a very quiet decision indeed.
