Obama's Top 20

By: Jennifer Foster | Opelika Auburn News
Published: June 11, 2008 | 0 Comments | Post a Comment

Members of Barack Obama's vice presidential vetting team were on Capitol Hill yesterday, running a list of potential VPs by a certain U.S. senator.

Who's in the Top 20, you ask?

No names, but the list reportedly included "top officials now,” "former lawmakers” and others who are “former top military leaders.” Some are "well-known options," while others are "outside the box," the senator said.

But at this point, the more interesting question is, with whom did Obama’s emissaries meet?

That would be Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota.

Both of the senators from the Flickertail State (yes, it’s really called the Flickertail State – see? On this blog, you can read about politics and brush up on your 6th grade civics lessons, too!) are Democrats, as is the state’s lone congressional representative. But the governor, John Hoeven, is a Republican, and President Bush beat John Kerry 63-35 there in 2004.

Obama won the North Dakota caucuses 61 percent to 37 percent over Hillary Clinton on Feb. 5.

So why Conrad?

Consider these points from his official Senate bio:

Has served in the Senate for 22 years.

Served as North Dakota’s Tax Commissioner before being elected to the Senate.

“His public service to North Dakota and the nation has won him acclaim for his effectiveness and budget acumen.”

Has been named one of "America's Ten Best Senators," one of the "10 Most Economically Literate Members of Congress," and the Bismarck Tribune called Senator Conrad "the most influential senator North Dakota has ever produced." (OK, well, never mind that last one.)

Conrad is known for his work on the 2002 Farm Bill, health care policy, trade practices, “energy legislation that would make the United States more energy independent” and economic development policy.

Conrad “has bipartisan respect as an expert on federal budget matters and is considered a leading Congressional ‘deficit hawk.’”

Conrad chairs the Senate Budget Committee.

Now, consider this:

Conrad “was elected to the United States Senate on a platform of ‘Yes, We Can!’ optimism and a common sense approach to federal policy.

Hmm … that sounds familiar!

Obama needs help with rural white guys, and he needs a prophylactic defense against the “tax-and-spend” label John “I-will-veto-every-beer” McCain is already using to describe him.

Call me crazy, but could it be that one of the names Obama’s team was discussion with Kent Conrad was … Kent Conrad?

It’s true, North Dakota’s three electoral votes presumably won’t put Obama in the White House. But Obama has talked about a 50-state strategy. And Conrad isn’t a polarizing figure – unlike SOME people we know …

Hey, they said it was out of the box!