As the respective party conventions draw closer, we’ve turned our attention to the infamous Veepstakes. Every day we’re hearing more about the “safe” picks and who brings more to each ticket. Governor X shores up McCain’s conservative base, Governor Y helps Obama win in the midwest. Boring!

Let’s throw away reality for a moment, because honestly, it gets boring pretty quickly. It’s much more fun to talk about who’d really shake up the race rather than just be Surrogate-in-Chief. We’re not looking for the next Rockafeller here; I’d rather think about the next Cheney. Who’s got the cajones to follow that guy?

The only way John McCain could make his candidacy even more boring would be to add another white guy to the ticket. You know the type – big fluffy “Trent Lott” hair, southern drawl, wears a flag lapel pin and has memorized his favorite bible passages. Sure, another white guy would probably add some desperately-needed Jesus power to the McCain campaign, but c’mon! We’ve seen it all before!

So throw away the white southerners, because it’d be way more fun to see Johnny Mac pick Joe Lieberman. They’ve become best buds, after all. We haven’t seen my favorite war hero plant a big ole’ kiss on Joe’s face yet, but I think it’d make a great October Surprise.

The question is tougher for Obama – he’s already shaken this thing up and turned the election into a worldwide event. 200,000 people in Berlin; the guy’s a rock star! So the question for him might be a little tougher – keep his one-man-show star quality intact or make the bolder choice to look for someone who’d be the Dick to Obama’s George.

Luckily he can do both with Chuck Hagel. Yep, we’re doing a little switch there – McCain picks a “Democrat” and Obama picks a “Republican” – but it’s just that sort of year. Hagel’s a feisty reformer with a big mouth and taste for blood. He’s demanding, precise, and knows his stuff. Just the sort of guy you want for Vice President.

Of course, he’d disagree with Obama on a whole host of issues, and they’d have to come to some sort of agreement if he ever had to vote on tiebreakers in the Senate. But wouldn’t it be fun? Cross-party politics, just like the old days when the runner up became VP.

It’s fun to dream, isn’t it?