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What a day for DoubleSpeak! This morning we scored an interview with Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia and were able to be among the first people to ask him about the Washington Post’s reports that he sits atop Senator Barack Obama’s shortlist for Vice-President.

We’ve posted over at HuffingtonPost’s OffTheBus but wanted to give some love to all you DoubleSpeakers out there too. Here’s the recap as described on the HuffPo:

Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia woke up this morning to a new reality. He is, as reported by the Washington Post, on the short list to be Sen. Barack Obama’s running mate.

Kaine’s monthly radio appearance to discuss local issues pre-scheduled for today on WTOP radio in Washington, DC, was cast in different, higher intensity light. Kaine was joined by his colleagues DC Mayor Adrian Fenty and Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley.

It was quite a scene with a catered buffet (which included an omelet station) and a throng of reporters waiting to get an answer to the question of the day: will Kaine be Obama’s Vice-Presidential pick?

Immediately following the radio broadcast, we were able to get a few minutes with the Governor and ask a number of questions about his personal reaction to the attention he’s receiving and to get his response to Sen. McCain’s recent attacks on Sen. Obama’s overseas trip.

Kaine on McCain’s campaign:

“It’s just desperation. They’re just looking for a handle to grab on and slow the momentum of this bus down. And, it’s a different strategy every couple of days. It really has the air of desperation about it.”

Kaine on Vice-Presidential Speculation:

“…I’m not going to make the case for myself because that’s not why I’ve endorsed Senator Obama…”

“And, it still seems unlikely to me, it’s nice being mentioned. My Mom likes it, you know, but look, I got on board in February of ‘07 because I knew the country needed a change in direction and from a good Democratic field– I thought the field was a good field– he just struck as the guy who could change the direction of the nation. I’m just so gratified by the way the campaign has been run and the chance we have nationally but also in Virginia.”

“It’s a little surreal. It’s surreal to be mentioned and again it’s nice to be considered but I know there’s a lot of folks they’re looking at– there’s a lot of different skills and attributes that they have to weigh– personal, geographic, political — a whole series of things. But, you know, I have grown to have tremendous confidence in Barack’s judgment, in the judgment of his team, in very hard moments along the campaign, you know, I’ve kind of been with him when things were going well and not so well but they’ve always, in a cool and deliberate way, made a good judgment, and I have no doubt that the pick they make is going to be a strong one.”

For more images click here.

A very special thank you to our talented photographer Kate Sokolov who negotiated her way through the gaggle of reporters to get some great pics. We also want to thank Governor Kaine’s staff for allowing us great access during the WTOP interview and for granting us one of the only one-on-one interviews of the morning.

No.

Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) has taken himself out of the running to be Barack Obama’s running mate. This comes as a surprise to many DC-types who have longed surmised that Senator Webb would be an effective number two on the Democratic ticket.

This now moves Governor Tim Kaine (also of Virginia) into the top spot in the Matthew J. Slutsky veepstakes.

UPDATE: Marc Ambinder reports that Webb was a finalist on Senator Obama’s short list but refused to participate in the process further when he was asked to submit to a background check.

Go ahead and cross Governor Ted Strickland of Ohio off the list of possible Vice-Presidential candidates for Senator Obama. Governor Strickland was profiled today on NPR’s All Things Considered and spoke unequivocally about his feelings when it comes to the veep spot.

“Absolutely not. If drafted I will not run, nominated I will not accept and if elected I will not serve.”

Yesterday, I was on MSNBC discussing Obama’s veep search, as well McCain’s proposal to hold 10 televised town hall meetings with Obama. Props to Josh, whose post was the fodder for our discussion on the teevee. Check it out. Happy Friday.

By now we’ve all heard speculation about whether an Obama/Clinton ticket would, in fact, be a winning ticket for Democrats in November. This chatter will only get louder in the days ahead as activists, media, bloggers and others weigh in on what the potential pay-offs would be for such a union.

The arguments that I’ve heard for and against the “dream ticket” are all largely based on political calculations. That is, can Senator Clinton deliver lower-income and women voters to Senator Obama in the general election? Or, with Clinton off the ballot and campaigning on Obama’s behalf, does this not matter because these demographics will likely be reliable Dems in the fall?

While I don’t think anyone can divorce politics completely from the decision making process, I do not believe that, in the end, this will be the primary factor in whom Obama chooses to be his running mate.

In the end, this decision will need to be about trust.

By suggesting this I don’t wish to insinuate that Senator Clinton is not trustworthy. However, after going through this long primary campaign, I can only imagine the bad blood and harsh feelings that may exist between these two individuals. Sure, their policies are similar and they certainly share a desire to get our country back on track. But let’s get real; they have been through a tough fight and it may take a bit of time for wounds to heal.

There is plenty of precedent for primary rivals embracing one another and running successfully on the same ticket. I would have given anything to be in the room as Kennedy and Johnson made their amends and joined forces in 1960. Same thing in 1980 with Reagan and H.W. Bush.

There will be a time in the coming weeks “at a place and time of her choosing” where these two political rivals will have to sit down and talk through their issues.

And, while I have been skeptical of Obama choosing Clinton for some time largely due to the politics of such a decision, no one knows how this discussion will go. Will these rivals decide to agree to disagree? Or, will they put the recent past aside and decide to, as others have before them, establish trust and move forward together in a historic run for the White House in 2008.