Last night, a few big names chatted about the possible “dream ticket” of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

Former White House Chief of Staff and U.S. Secretary of State James Baker, a Republican, and former President Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, agreed that Obama’s best chance at winning the White House is with Clinton alongside him.

We’ve mentioned and analyzed the possibility of this ticket several times on SeattlePoliticore, and I’m to the point where I think the Obama-Clinton union can’t be done. Think again, said Baker:

“Don’t think that it can’t be done after a bruising primary. When [President Ronald] Reagan chose (George) Bush it was only because he had to,” said Baker, who was a part of both the Reagan and Bush administrations.

Carter was quick to agree, noting that Obama’s biggest weakness is his lack of experience.

“Obama has, I think, a disadvantage of not having the kind of experience that John McCain has, and that puts a tremendous responsibility on him to choose a running mate that could add some of that substantiality,” said the former President.

This is true - Obama lacks the experience that McCain has. But one of the main premises of his campaign is that political experience can equal special interests and corruption, and that extended periods of time spent in Washington, D.C. lead to politicians forgetting about the best interests of the voters that put them there. Plus, Obama’s got the alluring promise of “change” on his side, and after eight years of the Clinton presidency in the 1990’s, Hillary’s last name doesn’t exactly resonate with “change.”

But the idea of a viable female candidate does. And Clinton has shown her ability to carry states that will be important in the general election - something Obama, who has been most popular in caucus states, needs a little help with.

The analysis could go on for days. The only sure way to know who Obama will pick as his VP is to wait and see. However, I think Clinton’s chances at the VP slot will get smaller and smaller as she continues to fight, against all odds, to win the Democratic nomination.