There’s growing speculation about who will be chosen by Obama and McCain to be their vice presidential running mates.  Of course, the delegates to the respective party conventions have the final say, but they’ll nominate whomever the presidential candidates tell them to.  Although John Nance Garner, one of Franklin Roosevelt’s Vice Presidents, described the office as not being worth a warm bucket of spit, things have changed in recent history.  The role of the Vice President has become more important.  The fact that he/she is just a heartbeat away from the presidency is taken more seriously.  Things have changed in terms of what the Vice President does after he/she is in office, but the main criterion for who’s selected to run as a VP candidate unfortunately hasn’t.

The main criterion is who will help the presidential candidate get elected–which prospect will help the presidential candidate carry the largest number of states.  That doesn’t come close to finding the best person to step into the shoes of the President if, God forbid, that should be necessary.  It would be strange if a job posting for a key executive position in a company said,  “Primary job qualification: help CEO win favor with board of directors and shareholders and keep his job.”  But that’s quite close to the VP job description being posted by both presumptive presidential nominees.

Oh, there’s talk on the Obama side about picking someone who has military expertise, since Obama has little.  There’s talk about whether Obama should pick a Washington veteran with deep credentials in government or someone who fits Obama’s image of bringing change to Washington.

On the McCain side, there’s talk of picking someone who has the business or economic experience McCain is lacking.  There’s also talk of choosing someone who can, like McCain has done, work well with Democrats to help his administration accomplish something rather than merely talk about it.

But mainly what’s talked about on both sides is who can help win with women, Hispanics, Catholics, Jews, Evangelical Christians, voters on the left, voters on the right, independents, and all voters in the key battleground states like Ohio and Florida.  Being qualified to be President is still secondary.

What’s most disappointing is the lack of consideration given to leadership.  Who can best lead a country made up of all these voter collections, religious beliefs, ethnic groups, and political ideologies?  Who’s the most capable leader when it comes to the most vexing issues, like health insurance and immigration?

My favorite definition of leadership is “giving other people power.”  Maybe that’s why there’s little consideration of leadership as a principal qualification for a vice presidential candidate.  The last thing either the President or Vice President wants to do is give other people power.