The Running-Mate Question: Hill Veteran or Change Agent?

Sen. Evan Bayh, here with Sen. Barack Obama at a panel discussion on national security, may be a leading contender to be Obama's running mate. (By Jae C. Hong -- Associated Press)

Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Del.), believed to be high on Obama's list, said in an interview that he had not been contacted by Kennedy or Holder.

In the change column, two top contenders include governors of traditionally Republican states, Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas and Timothy M. Kaine of Virginia. Both endorsed Obama early on and have found success in regions where the party hopes to expand its reach.

They are also both Irish Catholics, a demographic group with which Obama proved weak during the primary season. And both have intangibles in their favor. Sebelius is an Ohio native and the daughter of former governor and congressman Jack Gilligan. Kaine was a missionary in Latin America, speaks fluent Spanish and shares roots with Obama in the same Kansas town.

Neither Kaine nor Sebelius -- nor Gov. Janet Napolitano of Arizona, Gov. Brian Schweitzer of Montana, Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, or any of the other new wave of Democratic leaders whose names show up on prospect lists -- would alleviate voter concerns about Obama's lack of foreign policy and national security experience. But many close to Obama say that he does not view his brief tenure on the national scene as a deficiency and that he may be more inclined to use the vice presidential pick to underscore that he is a different kind of candidate.

"The best bet by far is youth and vigor," said Matt Bennett, a former Clinton administration official. "This cycle is, in many respects, looking a lot like 1992 -- a young and enormously charismatic change candidate running against an older Republican who promises more of the same, with the economy in the tank and Americans desperate for new leadership and new thinking."

Sources close to the campaign said Obama also is intrigued by several political veterans, including Biden. The senator from Delaware has said emphatically on numerous occasions that he is not interested in the job, but he has many advocates, including powerful Clinton backers who valued his neutrality during the primary, as well as numerous Senate colleagues.

"He should go for experience," said Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.). "In my state, someone like Biden would send a very strong signal. It would add a lot."

Reed will accompany Obama, along with GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel (Neb.), on an upcoming trip to Iraq and Afghanistan. He laughed off rumors that he is being considered.

"I'm not in the mix, and I don't want to be in the mix," Reed said, recounting his family's amusement at hearing his name mentioned in media speculation. Countered one Democrat close to the Obama campaign, "He's in the mix."