So, it's Obama-Bayh?

Or so we're told to believe, based on the claim that the bumper sticker at the link is being manufactured and has been leaked. I wouldn't be surprised if it was Bayh, but I thought that this was better evidence than the supposed campaign bumper sticker. The "leaked" bumper sticker doesn't really grab the attention and scream "professional graphic design - it's the sort of thing you find on cafepress - and it's a very, very trad political sticker - not at all the kind of graphic design that screams "hopechange."

Which looks better:

Added: So, why Palin? Well, I've talked about her before (starting here), and I've come to the conclusion that she finishes first in an imperfect field. Consider the primary itself, where every candidate had an asterisk or equivalent mark after their name to explain why they were in some way suboptimal. For example: Romney was bland and people doubted the sincerity of his conversions on some issues; Giuliani was pro-choice and had various problems; McCain was hated by everybody in the party over something, ranging from the rational (immigration) to the somewhat rational (BCRA) to the outright irrational (Gang of 14). None of the candidates was ideal, and by sheer force of bewilderment, I think we somehow muddled through and in spite ourselves nominated the only person who had a prayer of winning this year.

The veepstakes strike me as similar. Palin is arguably too young; a rising star not yet fully risen, with much time left in her term as Governor. Much better to let her stay up there and bloom on schedule, perhaps as a 2012 nominee. But then again, who else is there? There has to be a veep choice, and just as the primary, all the possible contenders have asterisks. Palin does, too, but I think she brings the most favorable thrust:drag ratio of any of the other possibilities. She shores up McCain's vulnerabilities among conservatives, she brings a record of managerial experience and economic growth, and she could potentially capitalize on the disaffection of some moderate Hillary supporters who are still mad at Obama but who need a reason to get behind McCain.

Limited experience, true - but more relevant (i.e. executive) experience than Obama. And young, true. Nevertheless, while those could provide drag, I think they can also provide thrust by highlighting that Obama is a man who would have been ideally qualified to be Hillary Clinton's Vice President, a man of great potential for the future but who alas suffered premature nomination, leading to a Democratic ticket that is oddly inverted compared to our more traditional, balanced ticket. And as I explained here, for those who think she is well-placed for 2012, veep now cues her up nicely for that.

Post facto:
The myth that Sarah Palin "came out of nowhere" (9/4/08)