Who will Obama choose as his running mate for VP?

With the Democratic primary season almost over and with Obama being within reach of the nomination, it's now time to speculate on who Barack Obama will choose as his running mate for the general election in November. Clinton's campaign, though quite emphatic that Hillary is still in the running for the nomination, will come to a quick and sure realization that her bid for the presidential spot is over within the next week.

There are a couple of possible running mates for Obama to choose from. The most talked about and supposedly "sexy" ticket would be if Obama chose Clinton herself. This could be a potentially unstoppable combination in the general election. But it may put a damper on Obama's message of change. Having spent his whole campaign advocating that he wants to change Washington, and that Clinton is an insider who cannot, it would be somewhat of an irony if they ended up on the same ticket. He also risks alienating his and Clinton's voter bases, that have become just as big rivals with each other as they are to McCain's. On the other hand, if executed well, the combined ticket could bring a huge voter turnout in support of the Democrats in November.

Another option for Obama is John Edwards. Edwards, I believe, calculated his endorsement for Obama in time to be positioned as a potential running mate. Edwards would be a potential asset by appealing to the white working class voter base that Obama has failed to win over. Edwards can also bring his experience from the last presidential race and aid in the democrat's strategy for winning in the fall. The flip side is that Edwards does not have the broad appeal that Clinton has, and alienated Clinton supporters may end up abstaining or even voting for McCain in November.

Other options include Bill Richardson, Tom Daschle and even Al Gore! But it is anyone's guess at this point who Obama will eventually choose. I personally think that an Obama-Clinton ticket, if executed well, will guarantee a Democratic win in the general election. Plus you get the first African-American President and the first woman Vice-President both at once! You can't beat that, can you?