Michael Duffy of TIME magazine has a piece online today about the problems facing Barack Obama and John McCain in their search for a suitable VP. From Duffy’s point of view, Obama has two options: 1) address the concerns voters have over his experience and lack of foreign policy credentials or 2) reinforce his message of change. If he goes with no. 1, the pick is surely to be Sen. Joe Biden, Sam Nunn or possibly Gen. Wesley Clark whom Rachel Maddow has been pushing on MSNBC. If he goes with no. 2, all signs point to Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine who is prohibited by the state constitution from seeking re-election. The middle of the road pick seems to be Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana who served as governor before being elected to the Senate and whose name has substantial political strength in the Hoosier State.

McCain faces similar problems. Does he pick a youthful, energetic young governor with a good economic record, or does he re-inforce his own credentials (experience, foreign affairs) with an older pick?

Questions arose among an informal Think Tank focus group about this very issue. For Obama, I’ve argued for some time that Biden would be a great pick. Why? He’s instantly credible on Obama’s weakest issue, and his style - tough, direct - doesn’t overshadow. It serves as a perfect compliment. Biden’s primary weakness seems to be that he’s been in Washington a long time, which would hurt the campaign’s message of change. Joan Walsh of Salon also prefers Biden . . . if Hillary Clinton isn’t the pick.

McCain’s been getting hammered on left-leaning and right-leaning talk shows. I took in both “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” and “The O’Reilly Factor” last night and both hosts and their guests criticized McCain for his poorly run campaign.

As I’ve said before, he needs to shake it up, and not just with staff or new policy directives. He needs to announce his VP choice soon, and get the media re-engaged in his campaign. According to several media sources, McCain’s attention seems to be focused on Minn. Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former budget director Rob Portman and former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney. The first two address McCain’s need for a fresh, young face that has been exposed to a national audience. Romney, 61, underscores the theme of experience - and he might deliver Michigan. The Pawlenty pick drew the ire of two Republican operative on “The O’Reilly Factor” last night. They thought the pick was boring and would not excite the Republican base. I’m not certain that matters if Pawlenty can deliver his home state. Of course they, like I, believe McCain has bigger problems.

Yesterday, in a posted a link to a note from Mark Halperin of TIME on his blog where hinted that the McCain’s short list might include someone without Washington experience. That would be a substantial risk, but it would certainly shake up McCain’s campaign and draw sustantial media attention. Names that have been floating around are Fred Smith, CEO of FedEX and Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard who now serves as a senior McCain advisor.

On the Democratic side, Mark Ambinder of The Atlantic says Obama’s list is down to four: Biden, Bayh, Kaine and Kathleen Sebelius, the governor of Kansas. This report from the New York Times seems to suggest the same based on the activities of those vetting VP candidates. Mort Kondracke, the Executive Editor of Roll Call, thinks Bayh might be the pick. Charles Krauthammer, a syndicated columnist who writes for the Washington Post, among others, had an interesting observation on “Special Report with Brit Hume” where he said, “. . . after eight years of Cheney’s influence in foreign affairs, people have a sense that that is an important office in a way that never existed 30 years ago.” Thus, he would steer clear of Kaine.

Chris Matthews noted on his show on Sunday that he thought the picks would still be Biden and Romney. Those two candidates address the most specific needs for Obama and McCain.