To win Obama has to announce Hillary Clinton as Vice Presidential candidate. And soon.

Breaking News July 28, 2008 - updated August 11, 2008

After weeks of speculating, Barak Obama is to announce Hillary Rodham Clinton as his running mate for the upcoming Presidential Election, possibly as soon as this week. He has to.

Barak has little choice in the matter - the fact is he needs Clinton if he is to win the Presidency. He can't win the election alone or with an unknown VP candidate as his recent alarming dip in the polls have shown. Clinton brings the hammer-blow to the table; enough to convince skeptical voters that Obama as President is a winning proposition for the country.

Clinton also brings with her street-cred in Washington, the Democratic Party and indeed the world, as a tough, outspoken and seasoned politician. She has a lifetime of political experience Obama is so lacking, with eight years in the White House and as a two term Senator in one of the toughest States in the Union, New York.

Clinton has been quiet since suspending her own campaign, retiring her campaign debt and preparing her way for the forthcoming Democratic Convention. This writer believes that she knew this moment would come and it has.

Mrs. Clinton is at a point in her life where she knows that she will either be remembered as the Senator from New York or as the next Vice President of the United States. Having won such support during her own campaign she is very much focused on the latter. Mrs. Clinton is not going to walk away from the VP slot and pressure has been on Obama to pick her. Doing so will ensure his election as President. Not doing so will allow a unique moment in history to slip away as McCain picks a VP that the Republicans will rally behind and win the election.

Remember too that the Democratic vote is once again faced by critical dilution as Ralph Nader throws his hat in the ring. His candidacy risks absorbing those critical 3 to 6% of votes that could snatch the Presidency from right under the noses of even the best Democratic candidate. A lesson hard learned in 2000.

Hillary is the best and most logical choice. More so since Obama's Grand Tour in the Middle East and Europe which has had a disappointing return on investment and left voters relatively unimpressed. Unable to break out on his own, Obama needs to buy in his credibility as world leader and price of that ticket is Hillary Rodham Clinton.