Hillary Obama

A bitterly cynical friend of mine says she's "sick of the Hillary Obama Show."

"Aren't you?" she pointedly asked.

But recent polls suggest that Democrats are, in general, fairly happy with their choices this round. Maybe the breadth of "serious" candidates makes the field look good. The characteristics of a Kucinich helps an Edwards, an Edwards helps a Biden, and a Biden certainly helps an Obama or a Clinton.

Hillary Obama. There is something to that name, composed of a first name and a last name, perhaps the most famous name of each. Drop the Clinton, and Hillary is better off. As just Hillary, she's her own woman. And Barack Obama, that's just too much exoticism for one candidate. But leave it at Obama, and it's closer to, say, Oprah.

That works. And each of these candidates, along with Edwards in the wings, is making the other stronger. They're not bitter adversaries because I think they both realize that each makes the other stronger. It is a symbiotic campaign. And so why not just be done with it now, and name the ticket Hillary Obama '08?

Too bad the two have to spar over who wants to be on top of that ticket.