An e-mail:

I don’t dispute the logic of your correspondent on who Republicans
should want on the ticket. But none of those states were carried by
Bush in 2004, nor 2000. It does suggest the usual key states will
decide it if it’s Obama (Ohio, FL, NH, NM, etc…), and it also
suggests that McCain could put Kerry!Gore states in play if it’s
Clinton.
On a separate note, i think Michelle Obama may have also been
attempting to slap down the Clinton years, as the only Democratic
administration of her adult life was Clinton’s. It was not a
transformative presidency, and nothing happened during his 8 years to
make her proud to be an American. Given Bill’s reaction the last
time Barack made that point, it would have been well worth another
poke in his eye.