Dream Ticket Update: Looking Good

Or at least, better than the current bad buzz in the media would suggest.

According to a source who is very well-placed with the Clinton campaign, the prospect of a Dream Ticket of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton is alive and well.

According to the source, now that the general election has begun, certain political realities are beginning to gel within the Obama campaign, things that bode well for Hillary's selection.

Let me start off by saying, I hate using anonymous sources, and having to constantly say, "...the source said..." like I'm talking to a mineral spring, but what can you do? Let me just say that, not only do I know who the source is, but who the source is talking to.

The other thing is, even with anonymity, these folks can be cagey and obtuse, anyway, and there's a lot of reading between the lines.

Hillary's current status is that she is "very much in the running." The shot here is that we have to wait and see how things look once they settle down. A key element to this will be acceptance of the new alliance by Barack's, and Hillary's, supporters, and the level of cooperation among donors.

A point said to be in Hillary's favor is that Senator Obama, noticing increased gender-based attacks on Michelle Obama, sees Hillary as being able to act as a firewall for his wife.

This tracks somewhat with what I've been saying, except I see Hillary as a firewall for Barack, as well. He needs that so that he can still seem above the fray.

Furthermore, in discussions with high-level Republican donors, the Dream Ticket is being called McCain's "worst nightmare," as he is banking on picking up a lot of Clinton supporters, and stands to lose a chunk of his existing support from women.

I also asked about Patti Solis-Doyle's selection as chief of staff to Obama's eventual VP, which many raise as a bad sign for the Dream Ticket, but my source says that's just not so, that Hillary and Patti are still friends, and that the selection had more to do with the fact that Doyle and Axelrod go way back to her Chicago days.

After our conversation, I was left with the impression that, while the job is not quite hers to lose, it sounds like the dance has begun, and they both just need to mind the music and the step.

Note: To any readers who will be in striking distance of Philadelphia on Friday, June 27: Some Political Machine writers and readers are getting together (unofficially) to celebrate John from Philadelphia's birthday. Click here for details.