VP Stakes; The Brian Schweitzer Edition

Ok, this one is definitely not one I am thrilled about but it is being floated. Given other efforts to reach out to "Values" voters Schweitzer, is socially conservative, pro-gun and very popular in Montana. Not really my type of Pol but he has a following.

As you can tell from the split-screen photo, the Gov. of Montana does not pass the tlg-photo-test. (I could not find any good pics of BHO and Schweitzer together) But he fits the strong governor vs. senator bill, which is even more important now that the weak willed senate caved on FISA.

Some highlights from his wikipedia page...

*Schweitzer currently has one of the highest gubernatorial approval ratings in the nation, with polls regularly showing a rating of around 70 percent.

8he has a Master of Science in soil science from Montana State University.

*He worked as an irrigation developer on projects in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. He spent several years working in Libya and Saudi Arabia and speaks Arabic. (I found that bit surprising)

I have to admit that the travel abroad and understanding of the Middle East, Africa and Asia is a big plus to me. His speaking Arabic is also a big bonus.

He has made a lot of news being against gun control AND being a very outspoken critic of the REAL ID legislation.

One big downside is that his science degrees and irrigation work could be a good thing, BUT I suspect he is more a big-ag-monsanto type rather than a al-gore-save-the-planet type...

He was the USDA guy under Bill Clinton. Need to read up more on that time period for the Dept. of Agriculture. I suspect it was a time a mixed messages and bad food policy, though better than under Reagan, Bush the First and certainly better than Bush the Second.

So... Obama-Schweitzer '08? Your thoughts?