I love Kathleen Sebelius

Kathleen Sebelius  In a recent local TV interview, Obama offered some particularly strong praise for the Kansas governor, saying, "I love Kathleen Sebelius. I think she is as talented a public official as there is right now." Picking Sebelius would jive with the Obama campaign's strategy of competing hard in red states.

Source of Speculation:  Obama himself. Speaking to the FOX affiliate in Missouri on Monday, the Democratic nominee was effusive--to put in mildly--in his praise for Sebelius. "I love Kathleen Sebelius," he said. "I think she is as talented a public official as there is right now. Integrity. Competence. She can work with all people of all walks of life." At which point the Illinois senator stopped himself, sensing, it seemed, that he'd gone too far. "But I promised that I am not going to say anything about my vice president," he added, "until I actually introduce my vice president." The blogosphere, of course, called this a "hint."

Kathleen Sebelius is the 44th Governor of Kansas. She delivered the Democratic response to President Bush's 2008 State of the Union Address on January 29, 2008.

   1. Born: May 15, 1948 in Cincinnati, Ohio

   2. Assumed office: January 13, 2003

   3. Party: Democrat

   4. Spouse: Gary Sebelius

   5. Father: Former Ohio Governor John J. Gilligan

   6. Alma mater: Trinity Washington University, University of Kansas

   7. Previous position held: Insurance Commissioner of Kansas

   8. Second female Kansas Governor

   9. TIME Magazine called her one of the five best American Governors in 2005

  10. Considered on the short list as potential Obama VP1

YouTube: Governor Kathleen Sebelius on Insuring Children

Sebelius earned her Master's degree in public administration from the University of Kansas. She served in the Kansas House of Representatives before becoming Insurance Commissioner in 1994.

   1. Pro-choice

   2. Opposes concealed handgun rights; repealed a law banning civilian machine gun ownership

   3. Opposes capital punishment

I'm still high on Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius as a running mate. By now you should be familiar with the obvious strengths she brings to the table, but I will list them anyway. She's won statewide election twice in a very conservative state, and she was reelected with 58% of the vote and retains high approval ratings. She's Catholic, and should help with that key swing demographic. She's obviously a woman, and she can peel off significant numbers of independent and conservative women from McCain's camp, while solidifying former Clinton supporters within the Democratic camp. And there is an even better qualification from a progressive point of view. I'll let the Republicans make my case for me