"Just the Ticket" -- Obama/Clinton 2012 -- Bill Keller, New York Times -- 1/9/2012

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62. At least you make sensible points, as opposed to others who respond to the idea

with visceral Hillary-hate!

I think your second point may be the most valid of the two -- Vice Presidents don't matter, at least not that much usually. However, do we have to go back to FDR to find a sitting President changing up his VPs? Just because that was so long ago, perhaps if Obama changed his VP, the novelty of it these days would in fact create a certain amount of excitement. Hillary is popular, and of course, the prospect of electing the first female VP might energize a lot of normally not-too-political women.

I think you're right that it WOULD seem "desperate" IF Obama was drastically behind in the polls right now, but he isn't. Current polling of Obama vs. Romney generally shows a tight race, with Obama up a couple of percentage points, which is how I think this race will go in the end -- Obama vs. Romney, a close race, with Obama the favorite. But because the race will be close, I think picking Hillary would be a nice way for Obama to pick up a point or two, to give himself a little insurance of victory -- that would work, in my opinion, but wouldn't seem desperate.