WHO WILL BE THE NEXT VICE PRESIDENT?

Now that Senator Barack Obama of Illinois is the obvious Democratic presidential front-runner and Senator John McCain of Arizona is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, we start setting our sights on who will be the Democratic and Republican vice-presidential nominee picks. With the major party front-runners in the rodeo chutes, so to speak, who would be their most attractive, experienced, and vote-getting running mates to put either Obama or McCain over the top in November? The campaign is already on. We don’t have to wait until summer for the Democratic and Republican conventions to do what we know will happen. It will be Obama versus McCain in the White House race that may be the most interesting political contest of our lifetimes. A black Democratic presidential nominee who is articulate and wowing young and African American voters but relatively inexperienced to govern the country. Surely Obama must select a powerful running-mate who would be at his side to run the country and preside over the United States Senate. It could be Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico, Senator Diane Feinstein of California who was previously mayor of San Francisco, or, more likely, it could be Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, Obama’s main presidential rival and former first lady who helped Bill Clinton run the federal government and set policies during their eight years in the White House. My bet is that Obama would choose a woman running-mate to round out his ticket. Hillary Clinton, who has been quite nasty to Obama and her staff to his campaign staff hate each other. Diane Feinstein, very capable, a nice tough lady, would be a uniter and powerful as vice-presidential candidate on the Democratic ticket. Obama must weigh the pluses and minuses. But my guess is he will choose a woman to run as vice president. Clinton or Feinstein? Clinton has so many negatives, Feinstein has so many pluses. But politics doesn't often operate rationally. On the Republican side, John McCain could trump Obama by choosing an experienced, attractive, articulate African American vice-presidential running-mate. I have written about retired Army General Jerry Ralph Curry, who has thrown his hat into the Republican presidential ring. He would be an excellent choice by McCain as a VP running-mate -- seasoned, a solid conservative, very strong on global, defense, and foreign policy issues. There is Maryland’s former excellent lieutenant governor Michael S. Steele and perennial political candidate Alan Keyes, who also are experienced, articulate, smart, attractive black politicians. McCain is a shrewd political veteran with a strong personality who, I believe, would want a capable gentle giant by his side, not a strong political personality who would play to the media and steal his thunder. That candidate would be Jerry Curry, whose military career included being chief U.S. Army adviser to the militaries of South Korea and South Vietnam, was military commander of Washington, D.C. during the first Bush administration, Pentagon spokesman for Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger during the first Reagan administration, ran the Aberdeen missile proving ground in Maryland, and went from private to general during a stunning military career serving on most continents of the world. John McCain and Jerry Curry would be a perfect team, in my view, complement each other, see eye-to-eye on the issues, and be a perfect Republican counter to an Obama-Clinton ticket in the fall. I know the race card is ticklish, but it has to be said that between now and the two national political conventions, someone of color on the Republican side has to perform the role of attack dog versus Obama. Who better than Curry – an experienced military hero in his own right, a grandfather, author, baritone opera singer? It would be proven leader-in-charge versus pip-squeak with no resumé of true governance. A pretty young African-American face versus another seasoned Dwight Eisenhower-Ronald Reagan-type figure who would command respect and has Cherokee Indian and Irish blood in his veins as well. Obama and McCain will have to make and announce their VP choices well before their respective conventions becaue of the way this presidential political cycle is already playing out. Also, it seems to me, no one in the Republican party has a clue what a national campaign against Obama will entail. He's a rock star on the level of Michael Jackson in his prime. He can cause a crowd to break out in a frenzy and women to swoon simply by walking on stage and clapping. How does John McCain, the current Republican front-runner counter that, even on his best day? By having a vice-presidential running-mate on the ticket who can equally excite a crowd. Otherweise, McCain is sunk before the real campaigning begins. It is now apparent that Obama can garner 90 percent-plu of the black vote just because of his DNA color. He personifies the race card whether one likes it or not, and already has made this an important strategic staple of his national campaign strategy against Hillary Clinton. It is a fact. If Obama is criticized on substance, I believe, it will be spun by the Obama campaign and his media idolators that the criticism is because of his race. The white guilt factor will also play in and some white folks will vote for Obama simply because they want to assuage white guilt. The only way for the Republicans and John McCain to offset Obama’s race-oriented advantage is to have a VP candidate on the GOP ticket who also has color. It would at least cause confusion and guilt in the black vote ranks and allow moderate and liberal white voters not to be driven by race-oriented guilt. Further, Republican conservatives are not going to make peace with John McCain. He must choose a VP running-mate who is already at peace with these voters and who can bring some of that peace into the campaign tent. Evangelicals supporting Republican candidates Michael Huckabee and Ron Paul are not going to make peace with McCain. The Arizona senator has spit on them too often. He needs a genuine evangelical on the ticket. Anti-illegal immigrant amnesty voters are not going to make peace with McCain so he needs a strong running-mate to bridge that gap as well. Jerry Curry makes sense. He is a far more true a conservative than either McCain or Huckabee and would satisfy the conservative base of the party. He also is an evangelical Christian and would energize that important grassroots activist base of the GOP. Obama no doubt has kindled a genuine enthusiasm among both whites and blacks, particularly new young voters. Some doubt all the white vote is a guilt thing because Obama truly inspires voters across the board with hope that things can improve in Washington. The question is over his policies. He's clearly left-liberal. What does he mean when he taqlks about change? What are the policies, tax changes, build-up of government, et cetera? Obama has started a movement that can only be countered by someone with real depth of character and conviction and passion. In order to join the political challenge, as Ronald Reagan said regarding Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, "Trust but verify." To "trust but verify," the GOP really needs an African American on the ticket. Who better than Jerry Curry -- a descendent of African American slaves and Cherokee Indinans - a man who came up to the top in the U.S. Army the hard way, a man who sees every closed door as a challenge to take on nand open the door, and walk out with head held high as a free man, and help others reach their dreams? Have a look at Jerry Curry's web site and decide for yourself.