Obama's choice for Vice President may be based on political calculations

Washington, August 11 : A strategist has said that he expects US presidential candidate Barack Obama would choose a running mate for the post of Vice-President based on political calculations, not the person's readiness for the job.

This was said by Republican strategist Karl Rove on Face The Nation on CBS News on August 11.

"I think he's going to make an intensely political choice, not a governing choice," said Rove. "He's going to view this through the prism of a candidate, not through the prism of president," he added.

According to Rove, "He's going to pick somebody that he thinks will on the margin help him in a state like Indiana or Missouri or Virginia. He's not going to be thinking big and broad about the responsibilities of president."

Rove singled out Virginia governor Tim Kaine, also a Face The Nation guest, as an example of such a pick. "With all due respect again to Governor Kaine, he's been a governor for three years, he's been able but undistinguished," said Rove. "I don't think people could really name a big, important thing that he's done," he added.

"So if he were to pick Governor Kaine, it would be an intensely political choice where he said, 'You know what? I'm really not, first and foremost, concerned with, is this person capable of being president of the United States? What I'm concerned about is, can he bring me the electoral votes of the state of Virginia, the 13 electoral votes in Virginia?'" said Rove.

ANI