Obama’s first test

Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) does not have much time to bask in the glow of his stunning victory over Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. He is immediately faced with the question: Will he put her on the ticket?

The Clinton camp, accustomed to getting what it wants, has shifted its goal from the presidency to the vice presidency. Some Democrats say the former first lady, by not being more laudatory of Obama on Tuesday night, is going about it maladroitly.

Clinton told New York lawmakers during a private meeting on Tuesday that she is open to the No. 2 slot. The conversation quickly became public, as several media outlets reported it.

Then after the last results in Montana and South Dakota came in, Clinton loyalist Lanny Davis released a letter to Obama calling on him to pick her. Davis, a contributor on The Hill’s Pundits Blog, wrote that Clinton “would be, by far, the most qualified and strongest candidate to be your running mate.”

The pressure on Obama to pick Clinton is already intense. And there are many reasons why he must consider it seriously. Clinton appeals to Hispanic voters more than he does and scored big wins in the battleground states of Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Clinton is a proven fundraiser and, as Davis notes, secured more than 17 million votes during the Democratic primary. An Obama-Clinton ticket would, by and large, unify the party that is profoundly split just five months from November.

But there are also many reasons not to choose her. The campaigns have been at each other’s throats for a year and a half, and while Clinton and Obama may bury the hatchet, a joint ticket would likely lead to internal staffing problems.

Some Obama backers do not want Clinton on the ticket. Rep. Lacy Clay (D-Mo.), an Obama ally, recently told The Hill, “I’m not sure the Obama supporters will fall in line and support her. It’s evident that she and her husband started down this racial path shortly after the South Carolina primary and they continue to hearken back to racial divides in this country.”

Obama said many things on the campaign trail about changing Washington and not going back to the 1990s. Picking Clinton would not jibe with that message.

If she is not put on the ticket, Obama would probably need to explain why he passed her over.

There is no easy answer to his problem. That’s why it’s the first of many leadership challenges Obama is facing as the nominee.