f I'm Al Gore, my short list for VP should have these five names, going alphabetically: Indiana Governor Evan Bayh, Senators Dick Durbin of Illinois, Bob Graham of Florida, and John Kerry of Massachusetts, and former Maine Senator George Mitchell.
Yes, I know: no woman, no minority, no thinking-outside-the-box type. Maybe Al's got a surprise up his sleeve, but after the way he has moped through the summer, I suspect he's got nothing up his sleeves but elbows.
Maybe it's the New Englander in me, but I lean toward Mitchell and Kerry, because I think the South is largely lost to Texas Governor George W. Bush, though Gore remains surprisingly close in Florida, and I think the Midwest battleground states can be pitched without having to go for a favorite son.
Bayh's a genuine comer, a moderate New Democrat type, probably still too callow for this cycle, and still largely unknown outside his region. But he's leagues ahead of another little-known Hoosier plucked to run with a plodding vice president, name of Dan Quayle. Graham makes Gore more competitive in Florida. But with Governor Jeb Bush flogging the patronage army for his brother, and the Cuban community going bananas over the Elian Gonzalez fiasco, and the longtime penchant for Southern white males voting Republican for president, I see Florida voting for George W., even though it's neck-and-neck today.
Gore's Southerner enough for me; having two Southerners on the ticket, making it the third straight Democratic ticket pairing a brace of sons of the Old Confederacy, does not do enough to energize the Northern urban vote.
Durbin is an affable Midwesterner with good skills, and like Mitchell and Kerry, he's a Catholic, which seems to be an advantage for running mates this time around, given Bush's tar-and-feather job on John McCain at Bob Jones University last winter. (Bayh is Episcopalian, Graham is a member of the United Church of Christ.) Durbin probably gives Gore Illinois, but I don't think he helps as much elsewhere as Mitchell or Kerry.
Rather than emphasizing youth (Bayh) or region (Graham and Durbin) I'd urge Gore to think broadband, think international. Mitchell's background as architect of the Northern Ireland peace deal appeals to more than just the Irish-American vote. A former federal judge, his temperament is reassuring. His record is flawless. And his role as Senate majority leader made him expert on all the kinds of issues that George W. knows little about.
There's a mischievous aspect to a Mitchell candidacy as well: He drives the Bush gang crazy. It was Mitchell who forced Poppa Bush, Mr. ''Read my lips: No new taxes!'' to break that pledge by constructing a Hobson's choice in the Senate budget-balancing game. The Bush clan still smarts at Mitchell's role in humiliating the Old Man.
What voters will see in Mitchell is an articulate, understated pol with a Mainer's knack for droll humor and thoughtful pauses. He'd wear well on TV. Plus, he's a nutty Red Sox fan. What's not to like? If Bush, whose record is that of a not-quite-two-term governor, picks another governor, say Pennsylvania's Tom Ridge, you'd have a situtation where the Democrats could boast that both ends of their ticket could handle foreign policy better.
Bush's difficulty with remembering names of foreign leaders has not cost him to date. But with globalization, defense, and foreign policy as defining issues, either Mitchell or Kerry, an experienced internationalist, could run rings around the GOP ticket. Bush's experience with foreign policy could be uncharitably characterized as him ordering Mexican food. He does speak Spanish readily.
With Kerry, you get a warrior of a campaigner. Like Ridge, he's a decorated Vietnam War veteran. Kerry is very close to John McCain, so the Arizonan would not be able to singe the Gore team with as much venom. Kerry's debating skills match anyone else's in the game: He went toe-to-toe against Bill Weld in nine hours of debates, and is very strong on the tube. And Kerry has a solid progressive Senate record. When he ran the subcommittee covering narcotics and terrorism, he was a dogged investigator. He uncovered the BCCI banking scandal, and could deftly carry the argument that the Democrats must become a party that can deal with global economic forces. Did I mention that Kerry's wife is worth more than $600 million?
I have no idea how compatible Gore is with any of these five. That'll count. You have to have a running mate you trust, which is why Bush is afraid of McCain. The Bush family is uneasy with independent-minded outsiders. For Gore, this is a chance to energize his listless campaign.
Going international, with Mitchell or Kerry, would pose a favorable contrast with the Bush-? ticket. The whole point is to woo independent-minded voters without alienating your base. Gore-Mitchell or Gore-Kerry can do that.
David Nyhan is a Globe columnist.
