IT'S PREMATURE to say that the
Technically the Minnesota-born Mr. Kaine would not qualify as the ninth president from Virginia, should he make it all the way to the White House one day. But perhaps the Old Dominion can't afford to be picky. After all, it has been a good while since a Virginian of any description has come this close to a major-party national nomination. How long? The last Cavalier to call the White House home, Woodrow Wilson, left office in 1921.
Of course, the veep speculation is nothing more than an informed guess. And it's true that Mr. Kaine lacks the foreign-policy and military expertise Mr. Obama may be seeking. But there are a number of pluses in the guv's column. For starters, he was one of the first prominent supporters of Mr. Obama, back when the Illinois senator was a real long shot.
Second, Mr. Kaine shares Mr. Obama's vision of a post-partisan future that focuses on fixing problems and inspiring citizens, rather than playing cutthroat ideological politics. Third, his experience as governor complements Mr. Obama's Washington service. Fourth, Mr. Kaine probably would sew up a Democratic victory in Virginia for the first time since 1964--adding 13 electoral votes to Mr. Obama's column and subtracting that many from Sen. John McCain's.
Should Mr. Obama opt for foreign-policy experience, there's always Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware. But Mr. Biden is a Washington establishment figure, not really in sync with Mr. Obama's turn-the-page campaign.
Add it all up, and it's no wonder Mr. Kaine rates so highly in the veep sweepstakes. Maybe the road from Richmond to Washington isn't as long as we thought.