The High Stakes of Veepstakes

I’m not sure I agree with the specific claims Jonathan Cohn is making here about Sebelius and Webb, but he does make the correct meta-level point which is that it’s a huge mistake for activists and so forth to think about the veepstakes primarily as a question of short-term political tactics. Becoming Vice President of the United States dramatically increases the odds that you’ll become President down the road, so it’s actually really important — more important than is generally recognized — that the person who’s picked be someone who’s substantively good.