“It ain’t worth a pitcher of hot spit!”

This is how John Nance Garner described the office of the vice president of the United States. But these days it seems to mean more.

I feel the long primary process, running up to the Democratic and GOP conventions, has exhausted potential voters and many are disillusioned. There is definite “buyer’s remorse” over Barack Obama’s nomination and in New York he has dropped over ten points in his lead. John McCain was never a big favorite of the conservative GOP and as he swerved to the right, he erased his attractive maverick image and irritated middle-of-the-road and independent voters.

Both candidates are imperfect. So perhaps the choice of a running mate has never been so important, except for when JFK selected Lyndon Johnson. And while experts keep saying that polls indicate nobody pays attention to the vice-presidential candidate, in this case it matters. The office is a kind of antidote this year to general disillusion. 

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Even when Hillary Clinton isn’t listed anymore as a running mate, people invariably drift into speaking of her or writing her in on many polls. She made quite an impact and many believe Obama should be brave enough to risk alienating some of his supporters because she’d help him in the race.

And I don’t think all that talk about Bill being the 2,000-pound gorilla in the room makes sense. Senator Clinton knows how her husband’s intransigence hurt her campaign. If she became veep I believe he’d be completely sidelined. She has learned her lesson and now is more famous and important than he is.

In a CBS poll of Democratic delegates, taken after the John Edwards debacle, Hillary ended up at 28 percent, Joe Biden had only 6 percent and Evan Bayh, Bill Richardson and, get this, John Edwards, tied at 4 percent each. So like her or not, Hillary is still a player and at the moment may be the most dynamic woman in U.S. history.

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Joe Biden of Delaware seems like Obama’s favorite. He is good-looking, smart, capable and knows international affairs. Of course, he talks too much but lately seems to have “caught on” to his faults. The problem is he is very much a Senate veteran, so forget the “change” idea. He also sucks all the air out of the room. (Shades of Bill Clinton.)

If Obama selects either Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas or Claire McCaskill of Missouri, I don’t think it will help him. Women would say, “Why not Hillary in that case?”

Bill Richardson is a good guy who’d appeal to Latinos but I think he’s made for a cabinet post. He is sincere but not an eloquent speaker. Evan Bayh and Chris Dodd. Come on – way too steadfast, old-fashioned, not meant for the “change” ticket. Virginia hasn’t voted for a Democrat in ages, so Governor Tim Kaine could double down on “change.” He has an important swing state and a chance.

Caroline Kennedy, who is on the selection committee? Well, it’s quite an idea. I don’t know what she’d deliver actually, but she is good-looking, smart, well-educated, rich, connected, very much her own person. No scandal has ever touched her, though people are not crazy about her husband.

She might be an appealing choice – female, impeccable, connected via Uncle “Teddy” and her legendary family name.