Mike Connery thought he had found a golden ticket: a contest he could easily win that would pay his freight to the Republican National Convention. If all went right, he'd even gain a coveted floor pass for all four days of the RNC.

There was just one catch: Connery, a progressive activist, blogger and founder of www.futuremajority.com, is a fairly prominent figure in liberal politics. His name is all over the Internet, and a simple Google search reveals that he's neither wolf nor hawk.

But the Republicans vetted Connery with the same vigor that they had previously reserved for Sarah Palin.

On paper, Joe Biden shines as a vice president pick. Not only is the man a formidable politico in his own right (ample experience, foreign relations credibility, and a moving back story), but his qualities also nicely compliment Obama— which is a polite way of saying he’s an establishment-approved, nonthreatening party steward whose appearance at a country club would elicit exactly zero double takes.

But can an Obama/Biden ticket can parlay this commingling of strengths and sensibilities into swing state victories?

Maybe. But don’t count on it. Here’s why.

An anecdote...

Among the Democratic Party Reptiles here at the convention, enthusiasm for Joe Biden as VP is more "he'll do" than "woo-hoo." No one's speaking for attribution on that score, of course, but the pick so far is being met with mild enthusiasm at best. Biden speaks here Wednesday, so perhaps he can change some minds and fire up the base.

With the general public, Biden's regarded much more favorably, according to a just-released Zogby Poll. That same poll has very bad news for Tim Pawlenty's VP hopes.

Jon Keller makes the case:

But consider some reasons why Obama might now turn to Kerry as a running mate.

Polls show many voters question Obama's foreign policy credentials to be a wartime president. As a decorated veteran and longtime member of the senate foreign relations committee, Kerry could fill that gap.

Obama suffers from being a new face on the political scene, but Kerry - warts and all - is well known to the voters, and in 2004, he did draw more votes than any democrat ever has.

And judging from a new anti-smear web site funded by Kerry's political action committee, Kerry would eagerly assume the role of attack dog... Allowing a nominee who prefers to float above the fray to minimize the amount of political hardball he has to play.