Sen. Obama will pick his vice presidential running mate this week, possibly as early as tomorrow.  Pundits are usually way off when it comes to predicting running mates (Dick Cheney is a contemporary example).  Sen. Obama’s pick will be his second major leadership decision as the de facto nominee of the Democratic Party.  His first major decision was allowing Sen. Hillary Clinton to receive a roll-call vote at the Democratic Convention next week.  Some view this as a concilliatory gesture aimed at uniting a divided party.  Others argue that Sen. Obama’s decision is simply a sign of weakness, that the decision to allow a roll-call vote will only pour salt on the wounds still fresh from the hotly-contested Democratic primary. 

Regardless, it will be interesting to see who…