Many will deride your selection as ‘old politics as usual’ but from this chair you bring more straight talk than McCain now seems capable of doing as well as balance, compassion, every day common sense and gravitas to the ticket. You also can be a pit bull when needed capable of gnawing a leg or two off the Straight Talk Express’ table of baying hounds.

Two hours after the e-mail and already the Repugs (my pet word for the Republican Party) have an attack ad airing. Yes, you forgot to mention Neil Kinnock one time and even The Telegraph here picked up on that without the ten times you gave him credit. As The New York Times David Brooks Said in his op-Ed piece the other day, “that won’t hurt all that much because voters are smart enough to forgive the genuine flaws of genuine people.” Your weaknesses are on the surface, but it is your depth of experience with 35-years of knowing how to work Washington’s corridors that we most need and will remember on Election Day.

I, sir, remember your personal kindness during your then second year in office. I was a high school student attending the Close-Up program riding the Senate subway with school friends Joe Martineau and Mike Webb. You and Senator Heinz from PA rode with us. You interrupted your discussion and took the time to ask questions of three 17-year old kids. Then as now you listened with genuine interest and it is what I remember most about you.

Please sir let some of that common touch comfortably rub off on Senator Obama. His telephone conversation with the 2 millionth donor contained some of the warmth America needs to see. Two years of campaigning is wearying and the newness and energy of last January needs to be infused in this campaign.

Senator Obama has learned from every mistake and now makes very few. With you on his legislative frontline, much will be accomplished come January to right the listing ship of state and get America moving on the right path again.

So in the tradition of your mentors, Humphrey, Mansfield, Ervin, Kennedy, and others, bring that lunch pail blue-collar appeal to this candidate and the Democratic Party. Help Obama to take control of the economy as the main issue going forward and win in November.

Use your honesty to cut through all of the handlers trying to mould Obama into a centrist and give him the straight talk he says he wants. We all look forward to seeing more fire in the belly and more freedom from the candidate to say what he really means, free from worry about how words may be twisted. It’s time also to get Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid to grow some solid brass ones and fight this fight in the trenches hand-to-hand and take the last seven years and throw their miserable record of deceit, denial, deception and dumbness back at them instead of always worrying what the Repugs might say in counter attack.

Keep being direct and to the point. Also when you win in November, this is no time for arrogance and hubris. This Administration needs to be firing on all cylinders from day one. Obama needs to be able to take an unpopular decision and know you as his VP will be loyal and supportive. You understand that loyalty at your core is what is needed to get thing done in Washington.

That is why though not the sexiest or most PC, you are the right choice. The Hillaristas will cry foul and its time for all of them to grow up. Would they really vote for McCain and watch all their issues die in his Administration?

Billary shot themselves in the foot. Now you are the newscycle instead of them for the next several days. If Hillary does her job, she will be rewarded in the future as the party’s standard bearer. She knows this. If Bill still acts like a prissy little high schooler left alone at the prom, his speaking fees will disappear and his legacy tarnished even more than a trumped up impeachment and Monica Lewinsky ever could do.

So go get ‘em Joe, chum is in the water and red meat’s on the table. Welcome aboard.