As soon as Senator Clinton conceded the race to Obama, her supporters immediately launched a campaign to have her chosen as his vice presidential running mate. Some Clinton supporters urged him to pick her as his running mate while others launched an unsuccessful petition drive to have her selected as the vice presidential running mate.

Obama wisely put that debate to rest (at least temporarily) and blamed Mr. Clinton’s library funding disclosure as an issue that would deter him from selecting Senator Clinton as his running mate.

These questions will resurface should Mr. Obama pick Senator Clinton as his running mate. Pundits will ask each other why the candidate who once appeared politely dismissive towards an Obama-Clinton ticket would reverse course. Their answer – desperation.

Obama cannot appear weak and he cannot be overshadowed by his running mate at a time when voters question his potential as a commander-in-chief.

As it is, he’s giving Senator Clinton and her husband two prime time speaking slots and they are not being cramped into one day.

The former president, for his part, has offered Obama nothing to prove his loyalty. He was not humbled by his wife’s concession speech. No, he said Obama must come to him and ask him for political support and last week he refused to vouch for Obama’s readiness to serve.

Obama can get the experience and blue collar appeal from Senator Joe Biden. No questions about the former president’s role in the White House will surface. Obama will not have to compete with the Clinton soap opera for press doverage.