Ok, with the growing likelihood that the Democratic primary will be over soon, we're seeing a lot of speculation as to who Obama's running mate would be. Some people complain it's a "jinx" to start this before the nomination is locked up, but unless you're particularly superstitious, I really don't see the problem. Maybe someone in the campaign is watching what we're saying, (wouldn't count on it,) but I doubt we're bringing up anyone they won't on their own.
That said, people are making a lot of mistakes in their suggestions, and not of the "I think A would be better than B" variety. They're proposing people who will not be in the running, and it's kind of silly to discuss the merits of those, so I thought I'd take the time to address some frequent mistakes being made.
When talking about who you think should be the running mate:
1. Do not pick someone who won't want the job.
You'd think this would be obvious, but I see a fair amount of people proposing Al Gore. Al Gore does not want to be Vice President again. I don't even think he wants to be President anymore, (he certainly would have had a shot if he'd run,) he's got a different job now, one that doesn't require him to treat Fox News reporters like buddies.
2. Do not pick Hillary Clinton.
She might even fall under category 1, but even if she did want the job, this campaign has not reflected well on her judgement, her character or her executive skills. I'm sure they'll be all smiles at the convention, but I wouldn't be surprised if she'd rather McCain won so she'd get another shot in 2012.
3. Do not pick a Senator from a state with a Republican Governor.
Insofar as the constitutional requirements of the VP are to be eligible for the Presidency and to have a pulse, the composition of the Senate (and the House) will be far more important to an Obama Administration than who the VP is. If a Senator exits his or her post to become VP, the state's Governor selects their replacement before a special election can be held. Among others, this eliminates Dodd, Boxer and Bayh from consideration.
This leaves plenty of eligible candidates to debate, and folks should feel free to have at it, let's just use some discretion in selecting people who have a chance in hell of getting nominated.