Experts Expound

"A two-part question: Looking ahead a few days, who do you think John McCain will pick as his veep? And does Joe Biden help or hurt Obama?"

According to the I Love Lucy rule about older, dowdier sidekicks, McCain needs a 95-year-old congressman with the charm of a Nazi dentist.

McCain needs youth and domestic smarts. Biden was a safe but smart choice that puts McCain in a box.

McCain picks Tom Ridge; Biden is of significant help. He can eviscerate his friend John McCain on policy issues without making it personal.

Biden's a huge help. Is strong every place Obama is less than strong. He knocked the ball out of the park tonight. McCain has to pick someone younger — but not so young he looks like his grandson. That's a tough order.

Mitt Romney. Biden is a net neutral for Obama.

No idea. His heart is with Lieberman or Ridge, but he can't afford the risk. Biden was a very good pick for Obama. He gives him foreign policy experience and a way to reach out to working class voters.

Obama picked a running mate with a very different image who fills in his weaknesses on experience, foreign policy and attack dog politics. The "foot in mouth" potential is a bit scary, but overall Biden probably helps. To fill in for his weaknesses, McCain needs a hip young evangelical. I suggest Mike Huckabee using Paris Hilton as a ventriloquist's dummy. Haha, now you'll be stuck with that image all day.

Biden was a brilliant choice on Obama's part as it forces McCain into a corner. If Obama had tapped Bayh, McCain would probably have picked Pawlenty – thus leaving both parties with safe, boring, running mates who might have helped deliver their important states. But soft-spoken Pawlenty would get demolished in the debates by Biden. Consequently, McCain other obvious choices are either Romney or Ridge. Ridge could help pick up Pennsylvania, but because of Biden-who's widely considered Pennsylvania's third US senator-Ridge's power is diluted.

McCain's choice is the only one of his finalists not affected by Obama picking Biden: Mitt Romney. That said, because of McCain's recent housing kerfuffle choosing Romney-a man with a fortune about as large as Cindy McCain's-could be a harder decision.

We expected Obama to pick a gray-haired white guy. Biden was a good choice for his positive reasons and PA will be big. I can't wait for the law school cheating to come out again. As far as McCain I hope he picks a pro-choice Republican.

The people from whom we sought opinions: Andrew Acosta, A.G. Block, Mark Bogetich, Barry Brokaw, Morgan Crinklaw, J. Dale Debber, Peter DeMarco, Jim Evans, Kathy Fairbanks, Jeff Fuller, Rex Frazier, Ken Gibson, Evan Goldberg, Deborah Gonzalez, Sandy Harrison, Bob Hertzberg, Jason Kinney, Mike Madrid, Nicole Mahrt, Steve Maviglio, Adam Mendelsohn, Barbara O'Connor, Bill Packer, Kassy Perry, Jack Pitney, Adam Probolsky, Tony Quinn, Matt Rexroad, Matt Ross, Roger Salazar, Dan Schnur, Will Shuck, Ralph Simoni, Sam Sorich, Ray Sotero, Gary South, Kevin Spillane, Rich Zeiger.