There is an interesting article on the cover of today's New York Times that delves into some of the support behind former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. Explicitly the description of Huck's Army sounds quite similar to the Ron Paul Army, although the latter is even more independent and autonomous than the former.

What they both have in common is an effective Internet strategy that allows them to make do with less, while also raising considerable funds online. Huckabee and Paul have both been outspent by opponents who blanket mainstream media with negative ads. Yet in the face of this they've both been able to use the Internet to speak directly to their growing supporters, inspiring them to work for and donate to the campaign.

I'm curious therefore to see whether Huckabee will be able to place well in Michigan and even if he can win in South Carolina this week. Is he independent and populist enough to win over some of the Ron Paul supporters? Would a ticket with Mike Huckabee as President and Ron Paul as Vice-President be popular? Though I do suspect that such a team would be vetoed by the Republican establishment which has the capability to parachute in their own nominees at the last minute.

Obviously the politics behind choosing a running mate is more than just mathematics and match-making. At this point the openly expressed symbolism has Chuck Norris as the VP in a Huckabee administration.

I think if the primary elections involved declaring a running mate it would be far more interesting. It could be balanced by having a deadline to declare a running mate relatively late in the game, thus increasing the possibility of competitors dropping out to become running mates for other candidates.

The really powerful combination would be if Barack Obama agreed to be Hillary Clinton's running mate. That would be the type of historical administration that could actually start to change the world's perception of America.

While this would all but guarantee that Obama is the next Democratic presidential nominee after Hillary, I doubt he'd agree to it, and I'm also not sure that the Clinton camp would want it either. I wouldn't rule it out however. Their combined thirst for power may be enough for them to get over their respective egos and see the opportunity such a combination offers.

The same is true for Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul.