In every other way, she’s excellent. She would be the first candidate for national office many of us could get really enthusiastic about since Ronald Reagan. She’s been careful with the taxpayer’s money, firm against corruption, and knows what can be done about energy better than anyone else on the national stage. And her popularity rating in Alaska is over 80%.

Whether McCain selects her or not, if He Whose Middle Name Must Not Be Mentioned wins this fall, I’d like to see her run for President in 2012.

Sibelius was the one who claimed that the Kansas National Guard couldn’t help with the tornado disaster relief because most of its equipment was in Iraq. Not true, of course:

Kansas had 88 percent of its National Guard forces available, and over 60 percent of its Army Guard equipment, and 85 percent of its Air Guard equipment.

That trick never works.

Kaine is Obama’s best bet. Sibelius would be interesting, too. But: while I’m one who believes that the Hillaryistas–at least those who are truly Democrats or independents–will in the end eat their spinach [I doubt that those "white working class blahblahs" have voted Democratic in a presidential election since 1976. (Dare we call 'em DINOs?)], the media will start blathering on about how the red cotton hoodie/denim skirt/checkerboard trainer set will never accept a woman who ain’t Hillary. Obama’s too smart to let that happen.

“God, who gave us life, gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the……

Will be interesting. I don’t know if that would tip MN or not. I agree with Anthony, Romney in MI might be better.

I am not a big fan of picking a VP in order to carry a particular state. Ask President Kerry how the Breck Girl changed North Carolina from a red to a blue state in 2004. Geraldine Ferraro failed to deliver New York in 1984, Lloyd Bentsen whiffed on giving Texas to Michael Dukakis in 1988, and Jack Kemp did not help Dole in New York in 1996. On the whole, one is skeptical of the VP’s prowess in delivering elections to the nominee. Instead, pick someone who does not harm the ticket.

With that in mind, Kathleen Sebelius seems the best choice for Democrats. She has no foreign policy experience whatsoever and like the Messiah has a history of making dumb, even dangerous statements. But she is a woman, and the Democrat Party’s Victim Dictum says that qualifications and ability do not matter – only rage, resentment and entitlement do. Picking Tim Kaine or Chuck Hagel would make the al Qaeda wing of the Democrat Party happy, but their Man already heads the ticket, and selecting a non-woman as VP would cause Hillary supporters to go nuclear. He Whose Middle Name Must Not Be Mentioned will need their votes in November. Thus Sebelius or someone else who does not carry the dreaded Y-chromosome is the Democrats’ best choice.

The elections of 2008 are shaping up to be the Affirmative Action Elections, and an Obama-Sebelius ticket is the ultimate triumph of identity politics over common sense.

Pawlenty’s got a good center-right record, as Ed points out, but (IIRC), he barely won reelection last time. I have to wonder about his ability to deliver Gopher State votes.