Obama, who announced his candidacy in the shadow of Abraham Lincoln and who is pledging a governing style straight out of Doris Kearns Goodwin’s landmark Lincoln book, “A Team Of Rivals,” will look in predictable places for his running mate but may surprise the nation with an unknown, or dare we say, perhaps even a Republican.

Having followed Obama closely for more than a year, here is my Top 10 list of vice presidential candidates Obama should consider:

1. Chris Dodd. I have had the theory that Dodd would make a strong running mate for Obama should the Illinois senator get the Democratic nomination — even though this would run counter to conventional wisdom about picking a vice presidential candidate from a key state (Florida or Ohio) or going with a Southerner or Latino.

As I reported earlier, Dr. Steven Kraus of Carroll observed something several weeks ago at the Jefferson-Jackson dinner: Dodd, a U.S. senator from Connecticut, and Obama clearly have respect for each other.

Dodd is simply a classy senator who can answer questions with reliable competency. Yes, the Southwest likely will determine the 2008 election, and sure, a Richardson vice presidential nomination makes sense because of this. But Dodd is fluent in Spanish as I saw firsthand when Lorena Lopez of La Prensa and I conducted a joint interview with him. If Obama gets the nomination, Dodd complements him in a number of ways as a running mate — including his ability to campaign in Spanish.

Dodd won’t make mistakes out there and with his reassuring white hair, the elder statesman would be a nice balance for Obama. Youth and wisdom. Age and experience.

2. Richard Lugar. Yes, Lugar is 76, and obviously, he is a Republican. But Obama mentions him frequently as Lugar, a Hoosier State senator, has served as something of a mentor to Obama, 30 years his junior. With serious foreign policy credentials and ice-veined competence, Lugar would signal that Obama is governing in the here and now — or the “fierce urgency of now,” a quote he often borrows from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Obama could reach to the GOP and independents with the argument that he’s not looking to set up succession for the party.

3. Ed Rendell. The Democratic governor of Pennsylvania makes sense from several strategic angles. He’s in a swing state. He’s an effective campaigner so he could knock heads around while Obama stays on the high road. Then there are the optics. With a paunchy countenance and the old-school girth of gut, Rendell, who is white, is the perfect counterbalance to Obama. Finally, Rendell has a major advantage over many white potential VPs. He understands racial politics as he has experience dealing with Philadelphia and large cities with high minority populations so he is less likely to walk into a racial minefield (or take Obama into one) than, say, former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, who just didn’t have that much experience dealing with diversity.

4. Warren Buffett. The Oracle of Omaha is 76, but as the economy becomes a bigger issue, why not select the smartest guy in the room when it comes to money? Buffett is beloved by Republicans (for helping make them money) and liberals (for giving his away). Late last year, Forbes magazine reported that Buffett was worth $52 billion. This means that if he didn’t get funding for one of his initiatives he could conceivably just do it himself … which raises issues both fascinating and troubling.

5. Kathleen Sebelius. The two-term governor of Kansas (that’s “What’s The Matter With Kansas” Kansas) has done well with Republicans and independents. She’ll deliver the response to George W.’s State Of The Union speech on Jan. 28. There’s a personal angle here that’s intriguing. Obama’s family is from Kansas — on his mother’s side. The full circle element of Obama selecting a Kansas woman as his running mate is a marketing dream. Plus, an Obama-Sebelius team would be a ticket of true change — as well as one that is Plains States-Midwest friendly. Look for this pick to move higher.

6. Wesley Clark. When the retired general was in Carroll, Iowa, stumping for Hillary Clinton a few weeks ago, I spoke with him for about 45 minutes. He should have campaigned here in 2004. He likely would be president now if he had. Clark is as whip smart as Obama and has the foreign policy and military credentials to burnish this ticket. The only issue: they are both similar in personality. Could clash.

7. John Edwards. Could he do for Obama what he couldn’t for John Kerry? You have to keep Edwards on the list if for no other reason than a future political (FDR-Truman-like) deal may make this selection a quid pro quo. Both Edwards and Obama are saying no to PAC money and could run as a ticket not wedded to special interests. Edwards also seems to relish the role of attack dog, and surely will not make the same mistakes he did in 2004 when he was easy foil for Dick Cheney.

8. Bill Richardson. Isn’t he vice president already? He’s been referenced so many times that Richardson could be forgiven for adding this to his resume. Yes, the Latin vote is vital, and the election may be decided in the Southwest. Can America accept a black man and an Hispanic on the same ticket? I think the answer is yes. He’s great on the stump and appeals to white rural voters. I see that up close and personal here in Iowa. He’s also damned funny.

9. Ken Salazar. Continuing on the Latino angle, we have to include U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar of Colorado, a Democrat who can appeal to white rural voters. (He ranches). He’s a former state attorney general and could make an excellent point man on the environment.

10. Bobby Jindal. The new Republican governor of Louisiana, at only age 36, is the son of Indian immigrants and the first Indian-American elected as governor. He has been compared to Obama for the obvious barrier-shattering reasons but also because of his intellect and spectacular educational pedigree. He is much more likely to be Obama’s opponent (should there be an Obama presidency) in four years than a VP now. But the possibilities are intriguing should Obama reach out to a Republican. This ticket would excite young voters, win over never-before voters, draw in Republicans and independents — and very likely do a great deal for Obama with Latinos. If I’m Jindal, though, I spend the next decade rebuilding my state and then run for the presidency myself, on my own terms.

Still, this is the most thought-provoking selection to consider.

Here is what The New Orleans Times-Picayune says about Jindal:

Every inauguration begins with lofty language but few hold as much promise as Gov. Jindal’s. The 36-year-old, Oxford-educated chief executive is a new generation of leader. Unlike most recent governors, he is not a product of the Legislature. He has worked inside state government but has been in Washington representing the 1st Congressional District.

  And a Yahoo message board dealt with the potential of him running as a Republican VP candidate.

Many in the ag news biz are now speculating that there is no way that the 2007 Farm Bill can be completed in the Senate before December. Steve Kopperud at Brownfield Network has reported that as many as 75 amendments to the bill have been filed. If even a small portion of those amendments come to the floor, it could take a long, long time to resolve them all. The Des Moines Register's Philip Brasher is wondering if the bill will even be finished by the end of this year.

But Dan Looker of Successful Farming Magazine reported that Harkin has said, "Yes, we'll have a bill before Thanksgiving." Looker's article details the frustration of Democrats regarding the threatened Bush veto.

Chris Clayton over at DTN Ag News is betting that the Farm Bill won't be finished until April 5 of next year.

Dan Owens, over at the Blog For Rural America, has been providing a running commentary all week about the Senate's Farm Bill action…and inaction.

 

In other news the U.S. House Agriculture Committee has been holding hearings on food safety, specifically talking about the recent E.coli problems in the American meat industry.

Iowa Farmer Today has an interesting article about dried distiller's grains (DDGs), a co-product of the process of making ethanol from corn. Apparently, feeding DDGs to hogs reduces the amount of phosphorus in the hog manure. That can change the impact of applying the manure to fields as fertilizer.

The enormous corn crop projections from the USDA are still enormous, but they've been downgraded a bit. Corn production is still expected to be the largest on record. The crop is now expected to yield about 13.2 billion bushels, and Iowa is still expected to remain the top corn-producing state.

The plan, HR 1523, is sponsored by Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich., and Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.  It calls for rotating regional primaries on six primary dates between March and June.  A similar bill in the Senate, S1905, is sponsored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and two former presidential candidates — Republican Lamar! Alexander of Tennessee and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who labels himself “independent Democrat.”  But the Klobuchar bill has an exemption allowing Iowa and New Hampshire to go early.  Levin’s bill has no exceptions.

Rep. Sander Levin is the brother of Michigan Sen. Carl Levin, long the most outspoken opponent of Iowa and New Hampshire’s early roles.Sen. Carl Levin also spoke at Thursday’s announcement of the plan and was direct about the intent: “It is unconscionable in a democracy that any state such as New Hampshire can have that kind of access to candidates and have candidates consider their issues almost to the exclusion of most other states,” he said. “It’s wrong.”

The plan is not on the table for 2008, but supporters hope to have it in place for 2012.

“If we keep going this way, we’re going to end up with caucuses and primaries before Thanksgiving of the year before the election,” said Rep. Levin. “That makes no sense at all.”