Who will have more luck: John McCain daring Barack Obama to do weekly town hall debates or Hillary Clinton goading Obama into putting her on the ticket? Neither would be a good idea for Obama.

As shaky as McCain is with a structured speech, he can be compelling in town halls. It is where he is comfortable and it gives him the forum to demonstrate his expertise. What’s more, for a weakly-financed campaign it would be manna from heaven to have the networks covering the road show. And as for Obama, his press avails tend to bring out the “hmmm” and “ahhhhs” and a bit of discomfort when pressed on anything from Tony Rezko to Hamas. Obama would be wise to steer clear of settings with impromptu questions. But can he afford to? Doesn’t he need to prove he can go toe-to-toe with his more experienced opponent? His campaign indicates some interest, but apparently minus the town hall format.

And Hillary today is trying honey instead of vinegar, attesting to Obama’s pro-Israel bona fides at AIPAC. Still, how does Obama feel about a petition to put her on the ticket (along with the ever-present Clinton shadow)? On this one Dick Morris is correct: the biggest reason for Obama not to bite is Bill. The last thing Obama needs is to bring the circus back to the White House.