Obama-Clinton '12! Wait... Hillary???!!!

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Yesterday on CNN, Bob Woodward told John King that an Obama-Clinton ticket is "on the table" for 2012. "Some of Hillary Clinton's advisers see it as a real possibility in 2012."

It makes sense, I suppose. I was one of those pushing for Obama-Clinton back in '08, if only to unite the party after a fairly brutal primary campaign, though I never saw it as much of a possibility. I thought Biden was a great pick, but he'll have had four years and the opportunity to make a mark on U.S. foreign and military policy -- his strength -- and Hillary would certainly be an exciting replacement.

And, of course, it would set Hillary up well for a presidential run in '16.

But it's not going to happen. As BTD notes at TalkLeft -- correctly, I think, though things can change quickly in politics -- the '16 nomination is hers "if she wants it no matter what." Plus, "[n]ot being Obama's VP gives her some distance in case things go way south with his Administration."

What's more, Biden's departure, which wouldn't necessarily be voluntary, would undoubtedly be spun by Republicans and the media as an admission of failure on the part of the president.

Woodward has astonishingly good sources, there's no doubt about that, but sometimes -- and this is one of those all-too-frequent times -- you have to wonder if he knows what he's talking about. Anything could be "on the table," after all, and it's possible that this is just wishful thinking on the part of a Hillary insider or two, who may very well just be using Woodward to float a seemingly crazy idea.

I'm not saying it's a bad idea, presuming that the Biden-to-Hillary transition would be managed properly (which may be too much to presume at this point), but it's highly unlikely.