Georgia on Every One’s Minds …

Issues of Obama’s electability are highlighting the importance of his vice presidential pick. He’s said to be ready to announce and appear on Saturday with the poor person who has to make some room in the same area as the Obama swollen head.  Some of his VP antics are also bringing about more comparisons to the Dubya administration.  Today, Obama announced the hiring of a speech writer for his yet unnamed VP choice.  He has already hired an assistant for his VP pic.  This harkens back to the tight control of message imposed by Rove on the Dubya campaign.  One wonders what kind of VP candidate will want to walk into their position “surrounded” with folks telling them where to go and what to say?

This at a time when the VP pick may be more crucial than ever.  Recent polls show by that US voters want a Democractic President by a healthy margin of 10%.   Why, then is Obama loosing ground to MCain and considered barely ahead or neck and neck in the polls?  The answer this time is not the economy stupid, but it appears that is is Mcain and the question is who do you want answering that phone at 3 am?  The more Georgia stays in the headlines, the more McCain makes hay out of Obama’s lack of experience and knowledge.  The Three Hundred advisors supposedly schooling Obama right now on the many things of which he has no knowledge can not replace the sagacity that comes with age and experience.

Today, McCain was a little downwind of me on an Oil Platform talking up offshore drilling after thrilling a group of Vets and clearly charming the audience in that Values Shakedown.  Obama may have more things to say, but McCain fewer words with more substance and impact.  While the press (most notably the LA TImes) has been trying to say that negative campaigning on the part of McCain is having an impact on Barracks standing, it’s clearly the recent events and comments by the candidates themselves that are leaving an impression on voters. At this point, Obama needs a clear foreign policy guru at his side.  However, can some one like a Biden be corralled and kept on the Obama message?  Or for that matter a Sam Nunn?  Clearly all the foreign policy big thinkers in the DNC will not like to have their staff and speech writers pre-vetted and be scripted by a less authorative top of the ticket.  If Obama chooses the foreign policy virgins on the short list like  Claire, Kathy, and Tim, the DNC ticket will lack gravitas.  Meanwhile, McCain can afford to search out a governor or business person to pick up the economic and domestic policy partner that he requires.  As long as Dubya and Cheney are sent into the den’s of the raw meat craving Republicans and kept away from the general populace,  things are shaping up rather nicely for McCaine.