A Kerry-Hillary ticket is the talk of the town
With the Democratic presidential nomination firmly in Senator John Kerry's pocket, America's chattering classes have begun to speculate about his choice of a running mate.
Among the more surprising possibilities being bandied about is Senator Hillary Clinton - or even husband Bill.
The former first lady is said to have her eye on running for the top job in 2008. But she has not ruled out accepting an offer to join Senator Kerry's ticket for this presidential election in November.
In a recent television interview, she said the choice of running mate was 'totally up to the nominee. And I don't think I will be offered. I don't think I would accept.'
She added: 'Obviously, I want to do everything I can to see John Kerry elected president.'
The leading contenders for the job are Democrat stalwarts Dick Gephardt and Senator Bob Graham, both given odds of four to one by Pennsylvania's Patriot-News.
At five to one is Robert Rubin, the former treasury secretary who is credited with producing huge budget surpluses for the Clinton administration. First-term senator John Edwards, who impressed Democrats with his performance during the primaries, is a seven-to-one shot, according to the newspaper.
But some pundits believe Senator Kerry should go for a more imaginative choice, such as Senator Clinton.
'[She] often shows up in polls as the most popular Democratic politician,' said Godfrey Sperling, a political commentator for the Christian Science Monitor.
'Indeed, it's amazing. The most admired and popular politician among the Democrats is being left to sit on the sidelines in this presidential race.'
If Senator Kerry really starts thinking out of the box, he could go for Bill Clinton, who is not constitutionally barred from serving as a vice-president, even though he can no longer run for president after serving two terms.
Besides his charisma and experience, Mr Clinton would make sense geographically as his southern roots would complement the Massachusetts senator.
But Sperling asks: 'Could Bill ever play second fiddle?'
