I am highly skeptical of various strategic approaches regarding balancing the ticket by shoring up this or that weak area with a general or a woman or an old experienced white guy. That seldom ends up mattering anywhere near as much as folks like to imagine. If you disagree, name the last 3 VPs from the losing tickets. Obama could appoint Genghis Khan his running mate and he’d still attract askance from hawks.

Richardson and Obama seem very sympatico, and that synergy will produce vibrance, confidence, and competence.

The people who would be most put off by a second minority on the ticket are, I suspect, generally the sort of low-information voters who would see a name like Richardson and think no further. Even if someone else was working hard to try and sell the fact that his is Hispanic. The only people who would be likely to be aware are Hispanic voters — and getting an edge over McCain in that demographic would certainly be a plus.

That said, I like almost everything about Richardson, as was already pointed out. I still think Sebelius will get the nod (technically, as a woman, she is a minority, but what the heck)

He’s auditioning for the role. See his blast of JMcC’s national security credentials on MSNBC: Video. If he gets traction with this line, he’s a shoe-in for the VP slot.

It’ll be a white guy, the question is, Webb, Biden or Edwards?