The Challenge of Picking a Running Mate

David Brooks of the New York Times neatly summarizes the problem faced by both Barack Obama and John McCain in picking their running mates.

And he has a solution for both men.

"[T]o balance his ticket, Barack Obama should pick a really old white general," Brooks says. "Therefore, he should pick Dwight Eisenhower."

Turning his attention to the Republicans, Brooks writes, "John McCain, on the other hand, needs to pick someone younger than himself. Therefore, he also should pick Dwight Eisenhower."

It's not really quite that simple, as both Obama and McCain should have discovered by now. But it does serve to illustrate Brooks' larger point -- which is that the emphasis in running mate selection is "completely backward."

Speculation in this regard centers on"what state or constituency this or that running mate could help carry in the fall," Brooks points out. But running mates "haven’t had much effect on elections at all, except occasionally as hapless distractions."

A thoughtful presidential nominee "should be thinking about who can help him govern successfully so he can get re-elected," Brooks writes. "That means asking: What circumstances will I face when I take office? What tasks will I need my chief subordinate to perform to help me face those circumstances?"

Brooks has a couple of reommendations for both candidates.

Whether they are plausible is something each nominee needs to decide for himself.

But Brooks' most important assertion in today's column is generic advice.

And both Obama and McCain would be wise to heed it.

"[T]he vice presidential pick is not really a campaign decision. It’s the first governing decision -- and a way to see who is thinking seriously about how to succeed in the White House."