Electing Veeps?

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At this point of every presidential election season the voters' attention turns to running mates. The apparent nominees are set, the campaign strategies are well underweigh and the major issues have hit center stage. Nominees usually pick a running mate who will fill some kind of weakness they are experiencing in the big race. In that respect, this election is no different. The other major function of the VP is, traditionally, he or she becomes the heir apparent for the big chair 4-8 years later. Running mates often bring in voters from geographic or demographic areas unreachable my the frontrunner. Sometimes they convince single issue voters that putting themselves in the little chair in the oval office is better than the other party's candidate in the big chair. Both Obama and McCain are looking for that special someone who will bring something to the table they are unable to fill themselves. What is different this year is that "something". What is it that niether candidate seems to be able to do that they are hoping their VP choice will bring to the table? An energized base! Obama started out with as energized a base as you can hope for. He had fans only dreamed of by Boy Bands and Hair Bands alike. Women swooned, men stood in wondering awe... Now they seem to be wondering what happened. McCain had the opposite problem. When he emerged as the apparent nominee, the Republicans were left scratching their heads. Momentum did get rolling after Obama clinched the Democrat nomination. He became the poster child in a "Ok, McCain isn't all we dreamed of, but he's better than Obama" campaign, that seems to have moved him up from "gag me til I die" to "ok, I can choke him down" status. Which, in past elections wouldn't have amounted to much, but it has put McCain ahead of Obama by as much as 5 points. This search for VP doesn't seem so much about geography, demographics or anything else so mundane. What the two hope their running mate do that they can't do for themselves, is win the White House. Yes folks, we're no longer electing a President this year, we're electing a Vice President. The term "co-president" was coined for the Clintons, but whether the winner has a D or an R after their name, this election is going to turn on one decision... The Vice President.