While walking out of work yesterday, I was considering the potential outcomes of the Democratic primary. Even though I tried to convince myself all the ways John Edwards would win, I kept coming back to the conclusion that this is Hillary’s nomination. It’s a strong feeling I have, perhaps spurred on by the comparisons of Obama to Gary Hart or my recent realization that Hillary is actually a good candidate (sunshine alert: I support Edwards, but am perfectly happy with any of the three Democratic candidates). Regardless of its origins, I’m now of the mindset that Hillary is once again the inevitable nominee.

This would understandably irk many progressives. Her waffling stances on Iraq, support from DLC insiders, and the morons running her campaign like Terry McAuliffe turn off a great lot of us from the progressive camp. Just look at any of the DailyKos straw polls, she’s well behind Edwards and Obama (and previously behind Richardson, Dodd, Biden, and sometimes Kucinich).

If/when she gets the nomination, the progressive base will be very important to her general election. Running to the middle hasn’t worked well for Democrats in recent years (see: Gore, Al; Kerry, John). The progressive base has shown its fund-raising prowess and rabid activism on behalf of respected candidates (see: Dean, Howard; many examples from ‘06). How will Senator Clinton be able to convince the legions of the left to not only stand behind her (they will regardless, if only because she’s not Mitt Romney/Mike Huckabee/John McCain/Fred Thompson), but to fight for her?

Easy. She should convince Senator Russ Feingold to be her running mate. Senator Feingold’s progressive credentials precede him. He has vigorously fought the Patriot Act, has always opposed the Iraq War, consistently stands for fair trade, introduced a resolution to censure President Bush (my personal favorite), and boasts an impeccable record on the environment. Not to mention he is a champion for campaign finance reform, which if John McCain is the Republican candidate would further annoy his base when they are reminded that he championed this too.

Hillary Clinton for President is infinitely more appealing to progressives if that ticket reads Clinton-Feingold. It would signify Hillary’s intention to run in the general election from the left (not pandering to the middle) and to show that she’s willing to bring in strong minded and outspoken progressives/liberals for leadership positions.