If Clinton Wants to Be Bold, This VP Pick Would Do It

The smart money is on Hillary Clinton making a predictable pick for her running mate—think Tim Kaine or Sherrod Brown, or perhaps Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, or Julian Castro, writes William Whalen at RealClearPolitics. But Whalen suggests another name that doesn't appear on the regular short lists: Facebook exec Sheryl Sandberg of Lean In fame. She is not only a "feminist icon," she goes back a long time as a Clinton supporter. The two are comfortable with each other, and Sandberg's age of 47—22 years Clinton's junior—might help the ticket lock down an important group that has generally shunned Clinton this primary season: young women.

What's more, Sandberg is a political outsider, though her lack of DC experience wouldn't be a hindrance in an administration sure to be stocked with veteran diplomats and political players, writes Whalen. But the most compelling selling point? This "would be a shocker," he writes. Suddenly, Clinton would be the "daring" and "unpredictable" candidate. "And that may be the best argument in Sandberg's favor: a big plot twist in a year of political surprises." Click for the full column. (More Sheryl Sandberg stories.)