In June 14 issue, Russell County News
By Barbara Sharp Zimmerman, Columnist

In a recent Courier-Journal column, conservative commentator George Will pointed all the reasons he could think of for Barack Obama to reject Hillary Clinton as a running mate.

Well, duh.

The real reason, of course, is that the Republicans fear Hillary Clinton like e coli on a hamburger.  That’s why they run her down so. They know she has a loyal following of millions of women voters,  hard-working people and other smart people who knew she’d make a super president. And the Grand Old Poobahs hope that her disenchanted voters can be wooed over to pull the lever for John McCain.

It will not happen if Senator Obama uses his noggin and selects Senator Clinton as his vice presidential running mate.

Calling the possibility a “dotty idea”, Will said such a choice would diminish Obama and obviously show that he’s bad at making important decisions.

Malarkey.

It would show just the opposite, and would increase Obama’s stature as a uniter and realist. Those of us who supported Mrs. Clinton thought she would have made a great president, but we’ll settle for Obama if he has the grace and intelligence to choose her for vice president.

Further, Will said that a candidate who embraces the future instead of the past should not go with an old politician from the 1990s.

Rubbish.

It’s true that Hillary Clinton has experience and some of it was gained in the 90s. But she has been a Senator all the 21st century and her ideas are the revolutionary ones of change for the future – for better healthcare, for improving the economy, for leaving Iraq and for fixing our damaged reputation around the world.

Then Will says that her vast experience would not help Obama deflect what is certain to be McCain’s attack on him as inexperienced and subject to being pushed around by a woman.

Huh?

How could her long years of experience not be helpful? Pushed around by a woman? How sexist can George Will be?

And, in a final convolution, Will compares the selection of Hillary Clinton for Vice President as akin to Barry Goldwater selecting Bill Miller to annoy Lyndon Johnson or as frivolous as Richard Nixon picking Spiro Agnew or as precipitous as George McGovern tapping Tom Eagleton, then later dropping him when it came out that Eagleton had had a nervous breakdown.

Horse feathers.

As I said earlier, Republicans are scared to death that Barack Obama will select Hillary Clinton as his running mate because they know that will almost certainly get him elected President. Surely Obama knows that if anything should happen to him, she would make an excellent president – and that’s the best reason to pick any single person for the job.
As for George WIII, well, methinks he doth protest too much. He’s scared to death, too.