You’d have to be an idiot not to realize with each passing day that the only way to unite the Democratic Party is to have an Obama/Clinton ticket.

And, if neither one of them–or both–don’t want that, then the party leaders must force it upon them.

This is probably the closest intra-party contest for the presidency in recent U.S. history and deserves a very special solution.

The fact is, even though Obama will no doubt win the nomination, Hillary Clinton’s drawing power in big, swing states and among the very groups that must be won over in order to win the Oval Office, is awesome by any measure and needs to be addressed.

Back to the Senate?

Yes, of course, Clinton can simply pick up where she left off in the U.S. Senate, but she will return to that chamber with a lot of bitter feelings between her and the big wig Democrats who gave their support to Obama. She might not be very effective, in other words.

The best place for her would be on the ticket with Obama. If a ticket with a black or woman candidate for president is historic–and it is–imagine a ticket with a black man running for president and a woman running for the number two spot?

I think it would be unbeatable no matter whom McCain selects as his own running mate.

Obviously, nothing can be done till after the very last primary fight is concluded on June 3rd. In the meantime, next week, the Democratic Party’s rules committee will be meeting to find a solution to the Florida and Michigan delegates problem.

But as soon as the primaries are concluded and Obama is anointed the party’s nominee, he should waste little time in announcing that Hillary will be his running mate.

While I don’t think it likely at this point that Hillary will capture the nomination, even if something is worked out to seat all or part of the delegations from Florida and Michigan, if she somehow manages to do so, she should also waste little time in announcing that her choice for the number two spot is Barack Obama.