An Obama-Clinton ticket - Boon or Bane?

As I type this Obama appears to be just 4 delegates short of tying up the Democratic nomination and Hillary Clinton is talking about her willingness to accept the Vice Presidential slot if offered.

Is it a good idea?

I have reservations about the Clintons being good losers, stepping into a second place role, and doing what is necessary to ensure that there is a Democratic victory in November and then not spending the next four years undercutting President Obama.

But let's assume they do. Is it a good idea for this ticket to go forward?

My initial feeling was no, but the more I think about it the better I like the idea.

A lot of people are afraid that the Hillary supporters will jump ship and switch to McCain if she loses. I'm not sure that they will, but McCain appears to be primed to go after this segment. Hillary as VP would alleviate this concern.

The main reason I think the idea is a good one is that there are a bunch of excited voters supporting the Democrats. This is demonstrated by the number of voters turning out and the enthusiasm with which they support their choice.

By combining these two candidates that excitement continues and the one thing that John McCain cannot generate is excitement. He may garner the conservatives, he may garner those voters who are not going to vote for a black man or a woman, but he cannot generate the excitement people feel when they hear Clinton or Obama.

By the way, John McCain is giving his "I'm not Bush" speech (with Bobby Jindal, the governor of Louisiana) as I type these final lines. The problem is that he has made his choice. He may not be Bush, but he is going to continue the Bush legacy. Such that it is.