Hillary is not he

Hey "Swami"

Time to put your money where your "crystal ball" is. A couple of months ago, you said you'd predict who the next president would be once "all the players are in place" on both tickets. So take a shot right now -- who will Barack Obama and John McCain pick for their running mates?

The Gambler

Dear Kenny:

Back in that June 3 blog, The Swami also opined that Obama and Clinton was "a 'when' not 'if' proposition if ever there was one." That forecast appears to be going to hell as of this moment, with Obama using the word "he" and not "she" Tuesday night when referring to his as-yet-unannounced choice. Hillary Clinton's supporters and detractors have described her in many ways, but they have never said she is a he.

And John McCain? Remember back in the heat of the primary season, when everyone figured his veep choice would be either the game-show-host handsome Mitt Romney or the Red-State-friendly Mike Huckabee? Funny how times change over a single summer. When is the last time you even heard the words "Romney" or "Huckabee"?

So there we have an idea of who will not be unveiled by the presumptive presidential candidates -- but your challenge is for The Swami to foresee who will be. Let us gaze into the crystal ball ... hmmm ... very cloudy ... hard to see ...

For McCain, the crystal ball is showing someone square-jawed and dark-haired and not 72 years old ... could it be Tom Ridge? The road to the White House might run through Pennsylvania.

And Obama? No surprise here, but the crystal ball is seeing someone white and male ... and that White House road might also run through Virginia and/or Indiana ...

Place your bets now.