Choosing a Veep

The vice presidency has never held much historical weight. Limited powers for the office in the Constitution led party leaders in early elections to make the role most useful before they ever took office—helping to win elections by delivering a swing state or reaching new demographics. Then, after election day, the veep would be left to preside over the Senate while waiting in the wings should the president be incapacitated. Even takers of the largely ceremonial position didn't think highly of the role. John Adams once called it "the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived" and John Nance Gardner, under FDR, famously equated the job to "a pitcher of warm piss."

But historians have argued that number twos in recent decades have expanded the role by helping to shape policy and playing unprecedented roles in important administration decisions. The new circumstances make the process of selecting a running mate not just about electoral advantages, but about taking a substantive part in a new administration—even, if needed, carrying on the administration's objectives should the need arise.

As John McCain and Barack Obama craft short lists for potentials to fill the post, presidential historian Alvin Felzenberg, author of "The Leaders We Deserved (And a Few We Didn't)," spoke to Newsweek's Daniel Stone about the history of the vice presidency and what's now at stake with the nation's second highest office. Excerpts:

Why has the vice presidency been largely brushed over by history?
Well, when you go back to the country's founding and the constitutional convention, it was kind of an afterthought. They didn't know how to deal with the problem of succession, which is why they put it in. One vice president, Nelson Rockefeller called it standby equipment, which is not far from what it is. They wanted an executive official to be on hand in the executive branch to succeed. Then they said "Well, what is he going to do while hanging around?" They figured they'd let him preside over the Senate without having a vote. But every president has used the vice president as he has wished, some more so than others.

So the VP's role is largely defined by the president?
It's not set statutorily, but yes, it's set out by the president. For example, George Washington never asked John Adams to attend cabinet meetings. Calvin Coolidge was the first to take part in meetings. Franklin Roosevelt chose not to brief Harry Truman on the evolution of Marshall Plan.

How has the office evolved?
The modern vice presidency really began to evolve with Richard Nixon. There were three issues that created it. One, we had jet travel, so it was possible for President Eisenhower to send Nixon abroad and use him as a foreign policy tool. He was interested in the office and showed a readiness to step in at any moment, and you had a relatively young vice president who was really looked on as someone who was ready to be president.

What's at stake in this election?
Well, take a look recently. I credit [Al] Gore and [George W.] Bush for picking running mates not based on electoral capacity or their ability to carry a state or to unify a faction. That might be the new role of the office. This time, we may be nominating two presidents, even if there's no tragedy. Because of that, I think the president will put the vice president's capacity to step in at a moments notice before any other concern.

Whereas presidents used to select running mates to help electorally?
Yes, that's really the big change. Clinton picked Gore because they were compatible. Same with Bush and Cheney. Both presidents realized that if they couldn't see their term to the end, what would be their legacy to the American people? Who would take over?

So you think McCain and Obama are thinking more about longer term effects?
They're politicians, so there are calculations. Should McCain run with a woman? Should he run with a governor? Should he run with someone who compensates his weaknesses? Yes, the answer is of course. But the ability to succeed the presidency has to be part of the thinking. And I think they know that. Both candidates are readers of history. McCain often talks about Theodore Roosevelt as his hero, who was a man catapulted on McKinley's ticket and who proved ready on a moment's notice. Obama has said many times that he is a fan of Lincoln literature, who had not a bad vice president his first term.

What will we be able to tell about the candidate by seeing whom he chooses?
The most important decision—and it's the first real decision—the next president will make will be his choice of running mate. He is bequeathing something to the American people, whether he realizes or not, but his decision could have tremendous consequences not just to the American people but to the entire world.

What are the consequences of choosing poorly?
It could affect our very survival, not to be hysterical. It could affect our economic well being. There are people that don't wish this country well and are actively plotting to do it ill. You don't want a president or a vice president who's insecure [who might] panic and make the wrong decision. If you have a president who's inexperienced in some areas, you really want a vice president to bolster him.