Kathleen Sebelius as Barack Obama’s running mate?

You bet.

I mean it. You really should bet. But when I went to Intrade.com to see what the odds are, Kathleen Sebelius was not even included in the long list of possible veeps. There are no odds, because the traders feel her odds are too long to even bet on.

But Intrade may be behind the curve.

Conservative columnist Robert Novak, who is usually a pretty reliable source, wrote recently that Kathleen Sebelius is perhaps the leading prospect to become Barack Obama’s running mate. The Washington Post has named her as the top prospect.

We agree. Not because she is our governor, but because she would be the most logical choice.

But first, let’s dispel the two main arguments against Obama selecting Sebelius.

One, Kansas only delivers six electoral votes. Yes, that is a downside, but when we get to her advantages, they overwhelm the electoral weakness. Furthermore, with the exception of Lyndon Johnson, who helped carry the south for John Kennedy, vice presidential candidates have not been all that important in geographic voting outcomes.

Two, Kathleen Sebelius brings no foreign policy to the table, which does not help balance Obama’s lack of foreign policy experience. This is a legitimate issue, but the truth is, it doesn’t matter. Americans have demonstrated time and again that foreign policy is not the overriding issue when it comes to electing our top leaders. If it were, they never would have elected Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, or current President George Bush to their first terms.

That brings us to the pluses for a Kathleen Sebelius selection.

First and foremost, Barack Obama must, absolutely must, pick a woman to be his running mate.

In normal times, gender would not matter all that much. But Hillary Clinton has made it matter. Lately, she has gone over the top, blaming her defeat on “misogynists.” In case you don’t know, misogynists hate all women.

Enough women apparently believe that myth, based on polls, that Obama could easily face a mass defection of female voters to John McCain. Or females may sit out the race. Since Hillary Clinton is not going to be Obama’s running mate, he must appease female voters by picking a woman as his VP. That you can take to the bank.

And who, therefore, is the most logical choice among all female political leaders in America?

How about a Democratic woman who was elected governor twice, in landslides, in a Republican state? How about a woman who vetoed anti-abortion legislation over and over, but as a Catholic, says that life is sacred?

How about a woman who faced down the Legislature and dared to block the construction of two coal-fired power plants? How about a woman who was selected, not by accident, to give the televised Democratic response to George Bush after the last State of the Union address?

How about a woman who has presided over significant tax cuts, to the dismay of Republicans? How about a woman who enticed the former Republican chairman of Kansas, Mark Parkinson, to run with her as the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor?

How about the former chairman of the Democratic Governors Association?

And how about one of the first major political leaders to endorse Barack Obama, when he was barely on the radar screen? And, finally, how about a fresh face, offering hope and change?

I’m more than willing to take this bet, and I do not require long odds.

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