Tim Kaine Shreds Karl Rove

Case for Tim Kaine

Tim Kaine is a communicator. 

I'm officially for the Obama Kaine team. But I'd be happy if Obama chose Hillary or someone else. It's his choice. 

Check out what Virginia Governor Tim Kaine said about the Iraq war. I've never seen it put better. Simple and dead on.

CNN: McCain and Obama have different views on how to handle the situation in Iraq. McCain has said troop withdrawal should be based on conditions on the ground, while Obama has advocated removing all combat brigades within 16 months of taking office.

"The problem with [McCain's] position, he says do it my way, no timeline, let's just have victory. He hasn't defined victory ... I think that's something that the American people, and especially men and women in service, are entitled to," Kaine said.

Tim Kaine and Obama seem like a team. They're both communicators and Kaine's fluent in Spanish. Bonus.
Here's some of Kaine's assets.

Kaine and Obama agree on issues such as capital punishment and abortion. They personally aren't For either but approach these social issues pragmatically. 

Kaine comes across as genuine and has always supported Obama. Kaine plays harmonica. Plus. He was a missionary. Plus. Kaine's bio. 

The wingnuts call a Kaine selection: putting "lipstick on the oinker" so you that's another plus for Kaine.

People have argued that he's too much like Obama. Well, Obama said that's exactly what he wanted, someone who shared his vision. Obama seems inclined to choose someone he can work with, as opposed to someone who can only help him win a state or win over voters. Obama has to do that on his own. If he can't win on his own, he probably shouldn't win. The same logic applies to choosing Hillary to appease some supporters.

The only perceived negative is that Kaine doesn't have military experience. But I think Obama can take care of that with cabinet positions. 

If Kaine is Obama's choice, it won't be announced next week. Obama's on vaca and Kaine is attending the 2008 Annual Meeting of the Southern Governors’ Association from August 8–11 in West Virginia. After vacation, the convention is in 2 weeks. 

I think Obama will wait until the convention to make his announcement. People say there will already be enough excitement at the convention without the announcement of a vice president and politically, Obama might want to have two moments. eh. 

An announcement at the convention would kick the campaign into high gear. The convention would be a great place to capture and build on the excitement. 

It's also good to make the media wait until the convention. That way, they'll have double duty after the convention-- spinning the vice president announcement and talking about the convention. That will keep them busy until McCain chooses his veep (or someone chooses his vice president for him).

Here's Tim Kaine

What Tim Kaine Says About Obama

Virginia governor Tim Kaine, now on the short shortlist of Obama veeps, said he was the first official outside of Illinois to support Obama. He's quite the fiery speaker himself. Obama campaigned for him when Kaine was running for governor.

 "He was a person who stood for excellence," Kaine said. "I'm casting my lot with Barack and we're going to take this all the way."
Here's a bonus -- Kaine can speak fluent Spanish and play harmonica (see video below). Here are some of his assets by a blogger in Virginia who called this a while ago. 

More on Kaine.
Obama/Kaine 08!
Kaine speaks at the Virginia Jefferson Jackson Dinner:

Kaine supports Obama in Spanish

Tim Kaine plays harmonica!

A 2005 story about Tim Kaine. It's all coming together now.