Hillary Clinton gave a defiant non-concession speech, but the final curtain reportedly will fall on the Clinton-Obama drama on Saturday. Barack Obama isn't waiting for the lights to come up. He has named Caroline Kennedy, former deputy attorney general Eric Holder and Jim Johnson to lead the search for a running mate.

But Clinton backers are saying: We got your veep and she's "absolutely ready." The campaign to put Clinton on the ticket is being led by Lanny Davis, who has posted an online petition.

Obama can choose to not maximize his chances of winning in November if he does not choose Hillary Clinton as his Vice President. And that will be his choice and his responsibility. I wrote a post that discussed making professional choices when you are running for President. Obama needs to be a professional about this. And a professional would see that Hillary Clinton is clearly his best choice for VP, as this Gallup poll demonstrates:

Obama 45 McCain 45

Obama/Clinton 50 McCain 45

The Hillary Haters in the Media and the blogs will pretend not to notice this data. But they MAY have to notice in November if Obama loses a close election.

Clinton and Obama had a private meeting...and all that was released was this...

Senator Clinton and Senator Obama met tonight and had a productive discussion about the important work that needs to be done to succeed in November.

As Amy Chozick reported this morning, Barack Obama may not be jumping to invite Hillary Clinton to be his running mate, but a growing contingent of Clinton backers is trying to convince him she is the best choice. At least five independent groups have formed recently to push an Obama-Clinton ticket through Web sites and mass emails to members of the media. Some of the better-funded groups hope to air television ads pushing their cause.

A Pew Research Center survey conducted May 21-25 says 53% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters would like an Obama-Clinton ticket. While 76% of Clinton supporters said they favored the joint ticket, 54% of Obama supporters said they didn't think he should choose Sen. Clinton.

Senator Dianne Feinstein of California got the call from Hillary Rodham Clinton Thursday afternoon: Could she, would she let Mrs. Clinton use her home in Northwest Washington for a little sit-down with a certain senator from Illinois, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president of the United States?

Mrs. Feinstein had made the offer before and it was still good. And so a few hours later, at just about 9 p.m., Mrs. Clinton and Senator Barack Obama arrived for a face to face chat. No staff. No spouses. Just the two of them in Mrs. Feinstein's living room.

The California senator had set up two chairs facing each other. She served them water. Nothing else. Two aides were sent to Mrs. Feinstein's study. And Secret Service agents stayed outside.

And so it happened, The Meeting, that Democrats knew was inevitable, but for a long while thought would never come. It lasted about an hour.

And Mrs. Feinstein said she did not ask what was said. But in an interview outside the Senate chamber she said she hoped the two candidates had gotten some time to decompress and discuss the road ahead.

Mrs. Feinstein also said that she hoped the conversation would lead to greater party unity, and that Mrs. Clinton was intent on respecting the views of her supporters and looking out for the interests of her staff, as the general election unfolds.

"I can speak, I think, for Senator Clinton. She wants to do everything she can to bring the party together," Mrs. Feinstein said. "She wants to do everything she can to see the people who voted for her have their voices heard and that's reflected in credentials, platform. And she wants to have a working relationship with Senator Obama, and I think it's a very positive thing."

There is news tonight Senators Clinton and Obama sat down and had a chat in Washington D.C.

I have burning questions, and I realize not all of them are about policy or substance.

But... Was there a hug when they entered the room? Handshake? I'm guessing no fist-pound.

Was it cold and formal? Was small talk exchanged? I'm envisioning something like:

"So, how's the weather here in DC?" "Oh, did you see those storms we had?" "Boy, I sure am tired from all that campaigning." "Tell me about it, I haven't slept in weeks."

I have no doubt when details are released we will get the standard pr push of "In a productive and friendly sit-down, the two Senators were eager to map out the unification of the Democratic party and to continue their hard work for the American people..." or some such BS.

You have to admit, you want to know just how 'friendly' it may or may not have gone.

I vote YES for a "unity ticket" between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

Unambiguously yes.

As far as Obama supporters go, I know I'm in the minority on this one. Nonetheless, not only do I think a unity ticket is a good idea, but I will actually be disappointed in Obama if he does not pick Clinton as his vice-presidential candidate.

The pundits cannot help themselves. We've heard every theory from pundits galore during the course of the campaign. And since the sun came up this morning, cable networks and pundits (myself included!) have been parsing every word, every sign, every move of the candidates and their surrogates about what will happen tonight. Can you say "feeding frenzy?"

(see comments at BlogHer)

Obviously this is flagrantly, shamelessly hypothetical: would Obama/Clinton '08 be a strong ticket?

One thing seems to me clear: Clinton would make an excellent VP, if she were willing to take the job, if Obama would have her. She would bring a lot of competence, knowledge, connections and machinery to the table. I tend to think she might be better at getting things done, as President, whereas Obama is better prepared to do the right things. Put them together, Obama's name first. That might be as close to the best of both goods as I could hope to extract from this field.

It seems like Hillary is crossing her arms and refusing to get off the playground, until Obama makes her VP. There are some real pros and cons to giving into her demands.