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Future Vice President Hillary Clinton? The rumors rule, despite denials.
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by Larry Spilman and Alan McBride
TAMPA, FLA. -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently payed a call on the Tampa area.
It was a business trip, for the U-S Special Operations Command's International Special Operations Forces Week Conference.
But some people were watching how she conducted herself, hoping to glean any clues that the Secretary of State may be acting more 'vice-presidential.'
It has been a long-standing rumor that President Barack Obama may choose to run with Clinton as his second-in-command this election year.
Obama has insisted that he is standing with the current vice president, Joe Biden, but this is an election year where every rumor has legs.
Given the clouds of speculation in the GOP "veep-stakes," where every "no" from a potential contender has a hint of "yes," it's hard to tell what may happen.
University of South Florida political scientist Susan McManus says the prospect of Clinton as a vice president is not one we should be so quick to dismiss.
She says it's still an "outside possibility" that Obama will keep Biden as his vice-president, but with the polls narrowing, it could become more likely that Clinton will take the post.
McManus says Clinton would energize young voters and women voters for the Obama ticket.
On the other hand, she could also energize Republicans who are not all that enthusiastic about Mitt Romney.
There could be a "Palin-Effect," similar to the one that galvanized supporters of the president in 2008 when the McCain ticket brought Sarah Palin on board.
That remains a question open for debate on many levels, however.
It's a question that may not even apply, for all that can be said, since Clinton has become well-known over the last four years as a capable and no-nonsense Secretary of State.
Either way, there won't be any decision in the immediate future.
McManus says if Obama does make a switch in running mates, he'll wait until the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., which will take place a week after the Republican National Convention in Tampa.
He might even wait a little later. Time, and only time, will tell.
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