Picking Obama's number two man

Sen. Barack Obama is expected to make an appearance in Springfield Saturday with his choice for vice president standing next to him.

There's been a lot of speculation over who he should, or has, picked. A lot of names have been thrown out, but one is missing from his list. Perhaps, it's the best kept secret in politics and Obama will shock the political and actual world with his selection.

Obama is an uniter, he brings people together. He needs someone to continue helping him bring voters together. He needs someone from the Republican party. He needs someone with name recognition. He needs someone who is familiar with Congress and our country's issues. He needs someone that will appeal to the millions of young voters in our country who may not vote otherwise. He needs Stephen Colbert.

As host of "The Colbert Report," Colbert has aligned himself with the extreme right-wing. Most of those people probably aren't smart enough to realize his show is a 22-minute long joke. His show has a large fan base and more than a million people on facebook have joined pro-Colbert for president groups, proof the American people would support an Obama/Colbert ticket.

Colbert isn't a stranger to politics. He tried to run for president himself in South Carolina earlier this year. His feature "Better Know a District" segment has given him the opportunity to meet a number of representatives and to get to know their district's issues. He's also gotten to know other important political leaders he's had as guest on his show.

The vice president doesn't do a whole lot by design and yet, it seems a lot of vice presidents have found a way to get themselves into trouble. Colbert would be different. He could still continue to do his show, linking the American people and their leader together in a way never seen before. FDR had his fire-side chats and Regan had all those press conferences. Obama would have "The Colbert Report." He could come on the show whenever he wanted to reach out to the American public or get his message out. Best of all, the show would make him accountable for his actions as president because he would know that at least once a week, Colbert would grill him on his decisions as president. The president shouldn't be above the law, nor should he be above Comedy Central's audience.

Colbert is a master of getting people to do what he wants. He's had an eagle, a Canadian hockey team mascot, almost a bridge in Hungary, a spider and more named after him. He could use those persuasion abilities to help get votes in Congress for Obama's polices.

An Obama/Colbert ticket would bear huge historical significant. It would be the ultimate underdog ticket, two men no one thought could make it to the ballot chasing the White House dream. It would more than just the country's first bipartisan ticket. A black man running from Lincoln's home state with a white man from the state where the first shots of the Civil War were fired would unit people of all races, geographical locations, age groups and political parties.

Obama has preached change we can believe in. Stephen Colbert is change I believe in.