Kansans are all excited about the possibility of Gov. Kathleen Sebelius being Sen. Barack Obama’s running mate.

And she’s a great pick—experienced, Catholic, female, from Ohio, probably OK with the Hillaryites, a post-partisanship politician.

But she might be the wrong governor who gets the nod.

“Huh?”, you ask?

Yes indeed. Gov. Brian Schweitzer of Montana might be the pick.

So says Stephen Rose at The Huffington Post:

The scenario under which Sebelius might get the nod is that it would be part of a rapprochement with Clinton that she’d go with. Hillary and Kathleen suddenly become the SAME THING and Hilary’s supporters back off.

Schweitzer would be Obama’s laugh at everyone, a manifestation of great confidence on Obama’s part and the choice of someone who really does rank as a political original and potential leader beyond the others in the Barack VEEP stable.

These two candidates speak chance and excitement and none of the MSM three promise more but endless picking over of the boring question WHY…

Schweitzer would also nail down the clear Western Strategy the Obama camp is running. Count the Western states among those that Obama regards as battlegrounds by simply listing those in which he’s placing his most recent ad.

As I thought about this, it was initially something that just made me want to go “hmmm.”

Then I thought some more. I’ve actually met Gov. Schweitzer and spent some quality time with him. He was the keynote speaker at the South Dakota Democratic Convention in 2006. He Dutch-uncled my candidate for governor, Jack Billion—and me.

Here’s why I think he’s a good pick:

• He is a rancher who wears cowboy boots, a bolo tie, and takes his dog to the governor’s office every day. He’s a big, straight-talkin’ guy, a man’s man. He ain’t no pussy. So Southern and Appalachian white men—the Bubbas—will love Schweitzer.

• He’s given a tremendous amount of thought to global warming and says even if we do something, it may not be enough. So the greenies will love him.

• But he also loves Big Coal, which Montana has lots of. He sees coal, coal gassification, and other coal technologies to a carbon-free or at least a carbon-less future. So those who want energy independence will love him.

• Schweitzer is an engaging, colorful speaker. Think of a political Baxter Black. He’ll play well on TV. TV viewers will love him.

• His own running mate—like Sebelius’—is a former Republican. So those looking for post-partisanship will love him.
  

• And those of us Democrats who live in a red state love him because he’s turned Montana from red to at least purple.

Obama could do far worse—like Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia—who doesn’t seem to have any of these traits.

So, the KSWatch/SDWatch Veep Obamanator looks like this today:

1. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius
2. Gov. Tim Kaine
3. Sen. Joe Biden
4. Sen. Evan Bayh
5. Gen. Wesley Clark
6. Gov. Brian Schweitzer (with a bullet!)
   

Stay tuned!

(Cross posted to Kansas Watch and South Dakota Watch.)

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