Melissa: I love this ticket, Marc. The bipartisan piece is emblematic of Obama's campaign. Powell brings gravitas, foreign policy experience and the enduring respect of millions of Americans. Powell desperately needs redemption for his role in dragging us into the war in Iraq. Who better to get us out, than the reluctant general who got us in? But the best part of this pairing is that they are both black. Having a black VP will instantly end the assassination fears that continue to haunt Barack. It is the same strategy that worked with Miss America. The first runner-up to Vanessa Williams, the first black Miss America, was also black. When they came after Vanessa, we still had Suzette Charles!  

Marc: First of all, can you please stop with the assassination talk? No one is killing Barack or Colin Powell. Presidents only get killed if they are a threat to the status quo. Besides, if they were both killed, Nancy Pelosi would be president. That's better than having a full Secret Service detail!  

Jim Webb, the Democratic senator from Virginia whose name is on every pundit's lips these days

Marc: Well Melissa, if nothing else, Jim Webb deserves consideration for exposing George "Macaca" Allen, who otherwise might be the Republican nominee right now. Also, Webb's experience as Secretary of the Navy and Assistant Secretary of Defense (under Reagan!) would help Obama improve his street cred among the warmonger crowd. Still, this is one of the scariest options on the table. With Obama drifting further toward the center, the last thing he needs is a running mate who has only been a registered Democrat for a few years. Also, with less than six years of Senate tenure between the two of them, this duo would rank as one of the most inexperienced presidential tickets in history. Unfortunately, he's probably on Barack's short list.  

Melissa: Marc, I am torn about this ticket. Democrats are so foolish when they think about how to win the South. African-American voters are the base of the Democratic Party in the South, and Obama's already got that demographic wrapped up. But, I do believe Virginia is truly in play this time, and Webb just might deliver it. Also, this guy's G.I. Bill for a new generation is actually a substantive policy proposal with possible far reaching, positive consequences.  He has a kind of bulldog quality that will bring a little fight to the ticket, too. Here is my big worry: The guy is not good on gender and choosing him might further alienate HRC's women voters.  

Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico who built his own campaign for the U.S. presidency on his foreign policy experience in various diplomatic roles

Michael Buckner / Getty Images

Melissa: Well, this guy is qualified as both a party insider and an experienced international negotiator. I fell in love with him when he endorsed Barack at the height of the Rev. Wright controversy. He does seem well positioned to broker a peace accord among the battered Dems, but Marc, I cannot imagine why anyone would think this is a good idea. Maybe he could deliver a few Latino voters who might not turn out for Obama, but Richardson doesn't do much to attract the critical swing voters in Michigan and Ohio.  

Marc: I think we can strike this from the list, Melissa. The only people eager to see a Negro and a Mexican on the same ticket are the folks at BET Comic View. That said, Bill Richardson is the most qualified of the bunch. He has so many of the things Barack lacks: executive experience, Washington experience, foreign policy experience and a natural connection to Hispanic voters. It's too bad Americans aren't ready for a Black-Brown ticket.  

Claire McCaskill, senator from Missouri

Melissa: I would love to McCaskill on the ticket. She has been an Obama loyalist since the very beginning. Throughout the campaign she has been a smart and savvy surrogate. Like Obama, she has a fast learning curve and rarely makes the same mistake twice: She lost in a close election and then came back and won by changing her strategy. She rarely ever discusses gender as important to her political identity, and the HRC Democrats might push her in directions that she doesn't like.  

Marc: I strongly disapprove of this pick. Although McCaskill represents a crucial purple state, her pro-fence immigration stance will ward off the desperately needed Hispanic voting bloc. Also, McCaskill's approval rating barely hovers above 50 percent, with high disapproval numbers among evangelicals and pro-lifers. Bottom line: If Obama's going to pick an unpopular white woman, it better be Hillary!  

Al Gore, Nobel Prize winning, climate-change activist, former Clinton VP and defeated 2000 Democratic nominee for the U.S. presidency

Melissa: Have we forgotten that this guy is ridiculously unappealing without a power point presentation to distract us from his wooden demeanor? Gore's endorsement of Barack two weeks after he secured the nomination was the least courageous act of the campaign season thus far.