Barack Obama will soon need to decide: would he have more negatives to overcome in the general election with Hillary Clinton on his ticket or without her on the ticket?  I am currently persuaded that the latter is true.  However much baggage Clinton would bring to an Obama/Clinton ticket, I now think this baggage is outweighed by the negatives that Obama would face with angry Clinton Democrats.  I should also note that I consider Obama's place at the head of the Democratic ticket is already secure.  Whatever electability issues Obama might have, they a nothing compared to the damage Clinton would have to overcome if the SDs overrode Obama's victory in pledged delegates.

This problem is getting worse for Obama with every passing primary.  Every time Clinton comes into a state an gears up her supporters, she creates more Democrats who invest their time, money, energy, hopes, etc. into her campaign.  These Democrats are far more likely to be among the disgruntled Dems when Obama runs in the fall with Clinton on the sidelines.

While choosing among negatives is an important calculation, I also think Obama can look at the situation in a more positive light.  He can campaign for the general election in a way that makes use of the full (or at least fullest) strength of the Democratic party behind him.  The way he does this is to offer the Vice-Presidency to Sen. Clinton.  Assuming that Clinton accepts (perhaps not a safe assumption), Obama will be able to say that his commitment to coalition building began in his own party.  If he wins, he wins for all of these Democrats.  If he loses, he will at least not be vulnerable to charges that failed to draw on his party's strengths.

Yes, the Republicans will delight in having a chance to go after both Obama and Clinton's public relations difficulties.  But McCain and his running mate will have more than their fair share of such problems.  I think goofy issues will be a wash in the general election and it will indeed come down to matters of policy and new beginnings.  Here, Obama/Clinton would be a very strong ticket.

Yes, having Bill Clinton hanging around will create difficulties, but hardly insurmountable ones.  His presence would be novel, but this is perhaps appropriate for a ticket that would be far more than novel in U.S. history.

It is a mistake to analyze this primary campaign in terms of most past primary campaigns where it was a safe assumption that Democrats would rally around the winner of the primary.  Supporters for both candidates are energized by a sense of history making opportunities, and I think they will be demoralized by a loss in the primary in far greater numbers than in the past for similar reasons.  Additionally, a far greater number of Democrats perceive, rightly or wrongly (I think wrongly), that this primary has had more than a normal share of legitimacy issues.

So, until someone gives me a good reason to change my mind, I am now an advocate of Obama/Clinton 08.