Gimme

Syndicated columnist Marianne Means took her turn today, making the case that Senator Hillary Clinton is owed the #2 spot on Senator Barack Obama's presidential ticket. She gets starry-eyed at the thought of "dream-ticket," all the while calling Senator Obama churlish, cowardly and foolish for considering other choices, and his supporters ignorant idealists. It reminded me of the Letters to the Editor that begin: "You're too much of a coward to print my letter, but..." If this is what the Democrats have to look forward to for the next five months, I think that we're better off calling the race for Senator John McCain now, and saving everyone the hassle.

One of the readers who responded to the column in the Soundoff, one TravisB, made one of the best points that going largely unheard. There are some VERY good reasons for Senator Obama to pick Senator Clinton as his running mate - and Means touched on exactly none of them. Instead, she penned a hurt and bitter screed, angry at those people who had the gall to support someone other than the person that she decreed should have won the nomination. This is the problem with dealing with people who feel that they are entitled to something - they forget that the best negotiating position offers a strong "win-win." But people who feel that you have something that belongs to them seldom see things that way. Convinced that theirs is the only legitimate position, they make demands that leave no room for compromise, feeling that the smallest concession is an insult.