Running Mate

Not too long ago some editorialist, opining on the subject of running mates, suggested that having Clinton as his VP choice would make it easier for Obama to get elected but much more difficult for him to govern. His opinion was that he should choose her anyway, because the main point was getting elected. I don’t recall who it was; I simply wrote him off as an idiot and moved on.

David Brooks has an op-ed piece in the New York Times today suggesting the opposite. He suggests that the effect of governance on that choice is much more important than the electability issue. How refreshing it is to hear a voice of reason. My goodness, governing well is important.

One suggestion he had for Barack Obama was Sam Nunn of Georgia.

I lived in Georgia when Mr. Nunn was one of the two Senators from that state, and the only thing that would please me more than seeing him on the ticket with Barack Obama would be to have seen him run for president four or eight years ago. Sam Nunn is a gentleman and a statesman, and would be a great asset to the nation as well as to the administration he served.

I think Sam Nunn would be an asset on the campaign trail as well. He is from the South and is very well liked. He has outstanding defense and foreign policy credentials, having served on the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, and he has an excellent relationship with the armed forces. He is currently working in international affairs, co-chairman of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, preventing the spread of nuclear materials.

He is personally in tune with the goals of Barack Obama, that our government regain its integrity and become more responsive to the needs of the people of this country. In fact, the government’s divergence from those positions was precisely why he decided to leave the Senate. His experience in government and his personal integrity make him the ideal helpmate for the ambitions expressed by the man that I hope to see become the next President of the United States.