Maybe it would be good politically (military creds). I do think energy is going to rapidly rise to being a very important issue early in the next administration, if not earlier, so having someone who is knowledgeable about it is important. Most of us left leaners are not comfortable with military background, but this election is going to be fought in the center of the political spectrum.

What a terrifying choice this would be. The US Chamber of Commerce's stances on everything from climate change to CAFE standards have been the polar opposite of what would be called progress by the environmental community. His speech that is linked to above could have been written by Dick Cheney, and is an energy supply-sider's wet dream, focusing on: increased production of all fossil fuels, increased consumption, exclusively technology based efficiency improvements, protection of maximized economic growth at the expense of the climate, and expansion of "alternative fuels" (code for biofuels, CC&S-ready coal plants, nukular, etc.)

I can't imagine a choice for VP that would more effectively dash my hopes for the promise of an Obama presidency.

...this guy would make it.  He'd probably be too conservative for Obama, even if he was tryin' to "even out" his ticket with some military types.

...Then again, what the heck do I know 'bout politics?

Those of you under the delusion that Barak Obama is some sort of progressive are in for a very rude awakening.  Obama not only supports the coal and nuclear industries, but is a big supporter of the military industrial complex, from where ALL of his foreign policy advisors originate, and of U.S. imperialism.

At best, Obama is a liberal, which means he supports the status quo but want some small changes, like bringing SOME of the troops home from Iraq, which is all he's ever said he'd do, and probably using them to fight in Pakistan or Iran.  If these are not your views, you should get involved in either major reforms of the totally corrupt Democratic Party or work for a much better one like the Green Party.  Otherwise, you're setting yourself up for a major disappointment.

Obama's speeches to AIPAC and the Miami Cuban community make it pretty clear that Obama is not a progressive in any meaningful sense. We can go on rejoicing that "our" candidate has the "cred" of being allied with the military and the Chamber of Commerce, etc, but why not just stick with the Republicans? Since when is endless war for oil and imperialism, and feeding the biggest corporations at the expense of the public interest and even human survival "the center"?