Hagel has a 0% rating from the Human Rights Campaign and an 11% rating from the NAACP, and a generally doctrinaire rightwing anti-civil rights record:

* Voted NO on adding sexual orientation to definition of hate crimes. (Jun 2002)
* Voted YES on loosening restrictions on cell phone wiretapping. (Oct 2001)
* Voted NO on expanding hate crimes to include sexual orientation. (Jun 2000)
* Voted NO on setting aside 10% of highway funds for minorities & women. (Mar 1998)
* Voted YES on ending special funding for minority & women-owned business. (Oct 1997)
* Rated 60% by the ACLU, indicating a mixed civil rights voting record. (Dec 2002)
* Rated 0% by the HRC, indicating an anti-gay-rights stance. (Dec 2006)
* Rated 11% by the NAACP, indicating an anti-affirmative-action stance. (Dec 2006)

In gay political circles, Obama is still viewed with some suspicion because he chose to feature an “ex-gay” minister at one of his first big rallies in South Carolina. Putting Hagel or Nunn — who fought against even the meager “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy on gays in the military when he was chair of Senate Defense Committee — on the ticket would not reassure advocates of gay civil rights.

Based on his record, Hagel would raise similar concerns among gays and their supporters as well as even among African-American voters.

Hagel has also been tainted by election fraud in a dramatic way that has never been officially investigated:

…He also served as a Chairman and was CEO of American Information Systems Inc. (AIS), a voting machine manufacturer, this same company electronically counted 80% of the votes in the state in the very same election that he had his stunning upset. He did not disclose his position as CEO of the company in his mandated disclosures until its name-change to Election Systems & Software (ES&S) in 1997. He had ownership interest in ES&S through its parent company The McCarthy Group as of January 29, 2003, when The Hill reported that, due to his ownership interest, “Hagel’s ethics filings pose disclosure issue”.

But the real prohibitive issue for Hagel is the fact that he is a Republican. I can’t imagine the Democratic establishment endorsing a plan to put the GOP just a heartbeat away from the presidency. And, to be completely cynical, I can’t imagine Michelle allowing her husband to put his life in that kind of danger.

“Known to the campaigns as ‘vetters,’ they are combing through the tax returns, campaign-finance reports, financial disclosure statements and other personal information of potential VP picks. They are sworn to secrecy as they search for a hidden time bomb that could derail a presidential campaign.

“One goal: Determine ‘how the crazy, cynical left or right of the (political) spectrum is going to misuse the information…’”

Sounds like somebody could get hold of a disgruntled staffer and slice away. I’ll stick with Chuck.

Not as hot but how about Rep. Joe Sestak, a Democrat and retired admiral:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Sestak

In 2006, he won the Pennsylvania seat of Curt Weldon, the GOP family values type who made news after his mistress called police because she said he was trying to strangle her.

The worst criticism of Sestak on his Wikipedia page is that he works his staff too hard:

Sestak has also “developed a reputation for being a temperamental and demanding boss” due to reports that thirteen staffers have quit his employment in 2007. Aides are purportedly expected to work seven days a week, including holidays, for 14 hours a day. Sestak justifies these hours, which are considered long even by the standards of Capitol Hill, by presuming to instill a military-minded “toughness” in his civilian staff.