Recent history would suggest that if Hillary Clinton, as expected, wins the Democratic nomination for President, she would choose as her running mate her closest competitor in the field. It has happened many times since 1960 when John Kennedy chose Lyndon Johnson as his running mate - most recently in 2004 when John Kerry selected John Edwards for the second slot on the Democratic ticket.But Hillary may have other ideas:Anticipating that Sen. Hillary Clinton will clinch the Democratic presidential nomination, some supporters are beginning to argue against her choosing her principal rival -- Sen. Barack Obama -- for vice president. They maintain Obama provides no general election help for Clinton. As an African-American from Illinois, he represents an ethnic group and a state already solidly in the Democratic column. This school of thought advocates a Southerner as Clinton's running mate. The last time Democrats won a national election without a Southerner on the ticket was 1944....(Read Full Post)