Obama-Clinton 2012?

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Would Secretary of State Hillary Clinton help Obama if she were vice president on this year's election ticket?

The very moment Hillary Clinton lost her nomination battle against Barack Obama, the big question burst to the fore. Should Hillary be the running mate? In the next breath, would Hillary be the running mate?

The complications in 2008 were too messy perhaps. Some bad blood was freshly spilled between Clinton and Obama, mostly thanks to Bill Clinton's criticisms of his wife's challenger. As well, it was not clear Clinton would deign to serve what is lamented as the dullest job in the West Wing. Still, four years later with President Obama struggling, Democrats are again asking themselves who helps Obama more and who hurts him more: Joe Biden or Hillary Clinton.

The most recent champion of Clinton for Veep is The New York Times Bill Keller. He heaps on the praise: "Hillary Clinton is 64 years old, with a Calvinist work ethic, the stamina of an Olympian, an E.Q. to match her I.Q., and the political instincts of a Clinton." But would all those strengths reinforce the weaknesses, real or perceived, of Obama? Does that even matter to the voters Clinton would bring on board?

In 2008, she did particularly well with white blue-collar voters, not to mention women. The Democrats lost some of them in the 2010 mid-terms. Would they come back?

Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor to Bill Clinton, argues Obama needs Hillary to "stir the passions and enthusiasm of a Democratic base that's been disillusioned with his cave-ins to regressive Republicans." When the woman herself was asked late last year about replacing Biden on the ticket, Clinton told NBC News, "I do not think it's even in the realm of possibility and in large measure because I think Vice P! resident Biden has done an amazingly good job." As good a job as Clinton has done as Secretary of State? What's your prediction for the 2012 Democratic ticket?

Matt Rodriguez, Democratic strategist; former senior Obama advisor in 2008, who now runs the Los Angeles office for the Dewey Square Group

Bill Keller, Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times and former Executive Editor of The New York Times