In which Stumper examines the probable Democratic nominee's possible--and not-so-possible--vice-presidential picks. (Click here for the first installment of our McCain Veepwatch.)

Name: Ted Strickland
Age: 66
Resume: Governor of Ohio, former six-term congressman from the Sixth District

Backstory / Source of speculation: Obama hasn't clinched the Democration nomination, so there's no chatter coming from his camp about possible veep picks yet. But Strickland was first floated as an attractive Obama running mate--at least in top MSM circles--by NEWSWEEK contributor George Will in his March 13 Washington Post column. At that point, Strickland seemed like an equally fitting choice for either Clinton or Obama. "They both might need the same white man," Will wrote. But recent events--and growing divisions among Democrats--have refocused the spotlight on Strickland as a particularly strong selection for Obama. Yesterday alone, he was mentioned on FOX News Sunday with Chris Wallace and ranked in the Washington Post as Obama's second most "logical" pick.

Odds: Moderate to high. It's long been obvious why Strickland would serve an Obama ticket well: he counterbalances each of Obama's perceived weaknesses. Obama, 46, is relatively young; Strickland is older, but not too old to dampen his potential running mate's youthful appeal. Obama is the half-black, half-white son of a African immigrant with whom he shares an "exotic" Arabic name; Strickland is a white man from the middle of the country who would make the Democratic ticket more palatable to voters wary of Obama's background. Obama is a career legislator without any executive experience; Strickland is a governor. And like any other Democratic candidate for president, Obama needs to win the crucial battleground state of Ohio; Strickland--who touted endorsements from 340 registered Republicans during his 2006 gubernatorial run--has served the state for 13 years and enjoyed high approval ratings for most of his current term as chief executive. And thanks to Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Bittergate, the persistent questions about Obama's blue-collar appeal and increasing animosity toward Obama among Hillary Clinton supporters, Strickland's stock as a potential veep has only risen in recent months. As an ordained Methodist minister, he'd shore up Obama's cred with "mainstream" white Christians. As a former representative of conservative southeastern Appalachian Ohio--and the recipient of an A rating from the National Rifle association--he'd help the Illinois senator reach out to gun-toting, small-town voters. And as an active, high-profile Clinton supporter--he helped deliver the Buckeye State on March 4--he'd represent exactly the sort of olive branch Obama will need to extend to the 49 percent of the party that opposed his candidacy (short of asking Clinton herself to join the ticket, of course).

As always, there are a few drawbacks. Strickland has no national-security experience--Obama's greatest point of contrast with John McCain, and a soft spot he'll likely want to shore up with a steely second-in-command. He's served less than a year and a half as governor, after all. The Ohioan is no longer as popular in his home-state as he once was, having seen his approval ratings dip from 61 percent last summer to 54 percent last month (although much of that slump may be attributable Obama supporters disapproving of his Clinton endorsement). And Strickland did characterize Obama as "fluff" back in February--a comment they probably haven't forgotten in Chicago, or at RNC headquarters. ("Ohioans should vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton because the March 4 primary is not about selecting the 'next American idol,'" he added. Ouch.) Still, you can be sure that Strickland would change his tune if Obama comes calling--they always do.

The only thing that remains to be seen is whether the senator is eager to duet.