Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader sees on the news, in the Washington Post, and on local radio that Virginia Governor Tim Kaine seems to be on the short list of potential Vice-Presidential picks for Barack Obama. (The WaPo article is pretty good. It is located here if you want to clicky the linky.)

Is your Maximum Leader the only one who thinks that Tim Kaine is not a good choice? Allow your Maximum Leader to throw out a few ideas/statements/thougths-that-occured-to-him.

First off… If Obama should win the presidency (50% chance your Maximum Leader thinks) then Tim Kaine moves out of Richmond and into DC. In that case, Bill Bolling (a conservative Republican) becomes Governor of VA. That would boost the chances of the Republican party taking (retaining in this senario) the Governors Mansion in 2009. That thought should appeal to your Maximum Leader… But for some reason it doesn’t. Why doesn’t it?

Well funny you should ask…

Secondly, what has Tim Kaine done as Governor of Virginia? Your Maximum Leader (who did not vote for the Governor) is lukewarm on Tim Kaine as Governor. He can’t think of a single initiative that the Governor has gotten passed in the legislature. He can’t think of a “signature” issue of the Governor. Indeed, your Maximum Leader is remarkably ambivilent towards Tim Kaine. He just seems to be the Governor and is keeping things going. If your Maximum Leader, a Virginia resident and observer of things political, can’t tell you what Tim Kaine has done as Governor that is a bad sign.

So… If a Virginia resident can’t tell you something his own sitting Governor has done for the Commonwealth what exactly does he bring to a national ticket?

That is the issue here. What could Tim Kaine bring to the ticket? Your Maximum Leader doesn’t think that putting Kaine on the ticket would surely bring Virginia into the Democratic fold. It would be a damned close run thing. But by no means a sure thing. Also, your Maximum Leader isn’t sure that Kaine translates well into more southern states. Kaine is not the “good ole boy” type that people in the South might identify with. Kaine seems like a nice guy - but he isn’t on your Maximum Leader’s long list of people he’d like to have dinner and drinks with.

Tim Kaine has youth. Kaine has (some) executive experience. Kaine talked a good game about “change” during his run for the Governorship 3 years ago. But if Barack Obama thinks that Tim Kaine is a dynamic leader with whom he can change the nation (and the world!) he has got another thing coming. Tim Kaine would be a lackluster pick at best. And at worst, choosing Kaine would just reinforce Obama’s negatives (ie: not appealing to blue collar whites, inexperienced, all hat and no cattle, etc).

If Obama is going to choose a Virginian as a running mate he needs to convince Mark Warner (former Governor of VA) to stop running for the US Senate and to hop on the ticket. Mark Warner is well regarded, experienced, and could actually bring the Virginia into the Democratic fold in November.

But wisely, Mark Warner continues to move towards taking a seat in the US Senate - and is putting his own presidential ambitions on hold for a while.

Frankly… If you Maximum Leader were advising Barack Obama on a Veep pick (which of course he is not) the advice would be this: pick Dick Gephart, Joe Biden, or Sam Nunn. He needs some experience on the ticket with him He also needs accomplishment. Any one of those prominent Democrats would bring Obama experience and accomplishments. If Barack Obama is serious about change, he needs to have a VP who knows how things work in DC and how to get things done.

Of course, those three choices aren’t fun or glamorous…

Your Maximum Leader feels that if Barack Obama chooses Tim Kaine as his running mate; your Maximum Leader’s opinion that Barack Obama isn’t qualified for the office he seeks will be confirmed. It is a bad decision that belies a tendency to make other bad decisions.

Carry on.