The always pertinent Wall Street Journal opened up an eastern front in the Battle for the White House this morning, reporting that Barack Obama is cranking up a Vice Presidential search committee.  And whom, you might ask, is under consideration?  The WSJ list, though it seems much more like a “Roster of American Democrats” rather than VP shortlist, includes none other than our own United States Senator, Chris Dodd.

Having scratched his Presidential “itch”, Dodd has returned to life as a Senator, presiding over his fiefdom that is the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and otherwise enjoying his time in the House of Lords.  But according to the WSJ, Dodd could be quite a match for Obama.  Unfortunately, the WSJ also puts the ‘kiss of death’ on Dodd by equating him with Vice President Dick Cheney:

Sen. Dodd, who endorsed Sen. Obama shortly after withdrawing his own bid for the presidency in January, would bring experience to the ticket, similar to the way Washington stalwart Dick Cheney helped Texas Gov. George W. Bush in 2000.

The paper goes on to include the crass political angle, courtesy of the always-willing John Zogby: “If Obama is looking for the gravitas and the over-65 crowd, which he needs to cut into, then I think Chris Dodd is at the top of the list,” says pollster John Zogby.”  What an endorsement.

It’s still early in the Obama VP search committee - and its highly probable that all of this speculation, while fun, is simple drivel for politicos to chew over the long weekend.  But with Camp McCain assembling possible VPs for barbeque in Sedona, maybe Obama’s trip to the Wesleyan graduation will be followed by a swing over to East Haddam for some beer and grilled chicken.