The Prevailing Wind

I've been watching Larry King on CNN tonight. His guests in the early segment included New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who is often mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate on Barack Obama's ticket.

To put things in context, at this point

1. Obama has indicated that he has chosen his running mate. He has not indicated whether he has spoken to this person and made the offer.
   
   (If he hasn't made the offer yet, it strikes me as just a wee bit arrogant of him to assume that anyone who receives the offer will accept it.)


2. According to reports earlier today, Obama was speaking to all the also-rans to tell them that they wouldn't be on the ticket. That strongly suggests that most, if not all, of the names that have been floated in the last couple of months know tonight that they will not be listed with Obama's name on bumper stickers and lapel buttons this fall.


3. Tonight, we're hearing that Obama's campaign will be announcing the selection "early Saturday." No time has been announced — at least, I haven't heard one. So, theoretically, it could be at one minute past midnight, or it could be 11:59 a.m. or any other time in that 12-hour period.


4. We're also hearing reports that Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh are out of the running. CNN says "sources" have confirmed that both men have been told that they weren't chosen.

With all that in mind, Richardson certainly was cool as a cucumber if he appeared on King's show knowing that he will be appearing with Obama in Springfield, Ill., tomorrow.

King asked him about his running mate status directly, and Richardson would not confirm or deny whether he had spoken to Obama today. And I could detect nothing about his voice or mannerisms that indicated that he was going to be a candidate for vice president.

He did, however, mention his beard and how he didn't want to have to shave it off. It has been reported that Richardson will have to shave his beard if he is going to be the running mate.

As someone who has had a beard for more than 25 years, I can't understand why Richardson's facial hair would matter. Abraham Lincoln had facial hair, didn't he? So did Theodore Roosevelt. And the last time I checked, both their faces were carved into Mount Rushmore.

(While I'm on the subject, the presence of facial hair doesn't mean someone would make a great president. Ulysses S. Grant, for example, was a great general but a terrible president. Of course, the clean-shaven look doesn't necessarily mean anything, either. Many presidents who are remembered by history as failures had no facial hair.)

Anyway, if Richardson knows anything, he didn't let the cat out of the bag.

Tonight, the Associated Press is reporting that Sen. Joe Biden has emerged as the leading contender. As I've said before, I like Biden but I think his 36 years as a senator is contrary to Obama's message of "change," which many of his supporters seem to feel means getting away from the establishment.

And Biden hasn't exactly developed a reputation for tact — although I do believe his expertise in foreign affairs could be valuable to the Obama camp.

Nevertheless, Biden had to abandon his first bid for the presidency in 1988 because it turned out he had plagiarized sections of a speech by the head of the British Labour Party.

Jake Tapper's Political Punch blog for ABC News says the Secret Service has been dispatched to Biden's home. Is that a sure sign that Biden has been chosen?

If it does turn out to be Biden, that should please David Brooks of the New York Times, who writes that he hopes Obama picks Biden "for the good of the country."

Whether Biden is the choice or not, take a look at the National Review's Campaign Spot blog and what it has to say about an Obama-Biden ticket. It's interesting reading and it raises some good points.

I guess we'll find out tomorrow.