Joe Biden for Vice President

Senator Barack Obama has chosen Senator Joe Biden to be his running mate in the November election. If he is elected, he would be the first Catholic Vice President, to go along with Obama being the first African American President. The question becomes, will Biden bring in more votes to his potential boss than other candidates, notably Hillary Clinton?

First, let's look at Biden's stature. He is regarded as a foreign policy expert, by virtue of serving as Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. He has also served as Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, so his insights into future judicial appoints will undoubtedly be an asset to the Obama Administration - that is, if there is an Obama Administration.

Hillary Rodham Clinton is the wild card in this scenario. She made history in the primary campaign herself, and she has legions of supporters who could have been Obama's. Many of them will, no doubt, make the transition, but in an era when elections are decided by extraordinarily small margins, even a percentage point or two of people choosing to stay home or support John McCain could make a difference.

Obama was in a difficult situation. Choosing Clinton would have been a bold gesture that would have conveyed confidence in his own ability. Instead, he chosen Biden, a fine upstanding public servant with outstanding credentials who does not have a highly motivated and dedicated core group of supporters who could seal the election, like Clinton has.

Some, myself included, have labeled an Obama Clinton ticket as the Dream Ticket. Now that ticket will be relegated to fantasy, and for better or for worse, we'll have Obama Biden.

As a Progressive who has suffered, along with many others, I have a lot at stake emotionally in this election. Here's to hoping that McCain doesn't choose someone like Condy Rice as his veep, or we could be in for a long night in November.