Choosing a VP For All the Right Reason

Speaking of who Obama should choose as a running mate, David Brooks thinks "He should be thinking about who can help him govern successfully so he can get re-elected."

This reminds me of a scene from The West Wing. Jed Bartlett is trying to decide whether to run again with John Hoynes, with whom he has a very fractious relationship. He decides to go with him, and when Hoynes asks him, rather perplexedly, why, Bartlett writes on a piece of paper, folds it, and hands it to him.

Four words: "Because I might die."