The VPs: Joe and Claire

It's likely to be weeks or months still before Obama and McCain annoucne thier vice presidential running mates. But The Fledgling Blog has the scoop: these are the two people who will be on the tickets come November:

Barack Obama: He will choose Claire McCaskill, Senator from Missouri.Barack should be deciding between two politicians from swing states: Governor of Ohio Ted Strickland and Missouri's Claire McCaskill. Ohio would be the bigger prize to take on election day, but Strickland may not have the power to deliver the state the way Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell delivered his for Hillary during the primary. In the end, Obama will choose McCaskill, who will help him carry Missouri in November, will strengthen his message of "change" and will go a long way to helping him with women who may be distant after Clinton's defeat. Come November, I predict an Obama-McCaskill ticket.

John McCain: McCain's running mate should be Joe Lieberman. Nothing will blunt Obama's message of change and bi-partisanship more than having a Democrat turned Independent on the ticket. When Obama claims to be ready to 'reach across the aisle' and work with Independents and Republicans, McCain will be able to point to Lieberman and say "Done." He will be able to counter a major theme of the Obama candidacy if he makes this VP pick. Additionally, Joe Lieberman is Jewish, which may be able to help McCain win support of that ethnic group. There has already been rumblings of trouble between Obama and Jewish Americans, and putting Lieberman on the ticket could turn that group to McCain. With sizeable Jewish populations in the swing state of Florida as well as in several Northeastern states (including the potential swing state of New Jersey) this could be a big electoral windfall for McCain. When voters head to the polls in November, I predict there will be a McCain-Lieberman ticket.