The 2012 presidential election has just ended, so of course that means it's officially time to begin speculating about the 2016 election. As I was thinking about the Democratic field the other day, I realized that once campaigning begins in full force in early 2014, President Obama will find himself in a very awkward position.
Most observers expect that Hillary Clinton will run again. She is well-positioned to win this time around. However, there certainly will be other Democrats who seek to run against her for the Democratic nomination.
Within the past month, Vice President Joe Biden has indicated on two or three occasions that he plans to run.
Who should President Obama support? In his victory speech, Obama called Biden "the best vice president anybody could ever hope for." At the same time, Obama owes the Clintons big-time and he knows it. When Obama needed him most, Bill Clinton stepped up for him -- first delivering a grand slam of a speech at the DNC Convention in Charlotte, and next coming through for him on the stump down the stretch during the 2012 general election campaign. And Hillary has dutifully served in the President's administration despite being devastated by her loss to Obama in 2008.
So what should President Obama do? More than likely he'll remain quiet and reserve support until the Democratic nominee has been chosen. But I wonder who he will be rooting for.
What do you think? Who will President Obama be rooting for to succeed him in 2016?