It's a long shot, but if Gov. Kathleen Sebelius leaves office early to become Barack Obama’s running mate, Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson would move up to complete the final two years of Sebelius’ term - then be free to seek election to two complete terms as Kansas Governor.

Parkinson, a former chair of the Kansas Republican Party and a GOP liberal, switched his party affiliation two years ago to run as Sebelius’ lieutenant governor.

If Parkinson ran twice and if he won both times and if he then completed both terms, he would become the longest serving Governor in Kansas history.

That's a lot of ifs, but it's all part of the odds-making game being played in advance of the Democratic convention.

Whether Sebelius will be tapped to run with Obama is anybody’s guess. But, as the Aug. 25 convention nears, speculation on the Democratic presidential candidate's choice is heating up.

And some of that speculation continues to focus on Sebelius. Last week, for example, the Obama campaign emailed to supporters a link to a GOTV video called “Kathleen Sebelius.” An influential web commentator wrote last week that she did not believe that email was simple happenstance.

“Mere coincidence as VP speculation gathers steam? Hardly,” wrote Deborah White, whose liberal blog is hosted on about.com, which is owned by The New York Times.

Others though, believe the line-up of speakers and convention themes for the Aug. 25-28 Democratic National Convention might suggest that Sebelius will be passed over for a candidate with foreign policy and national security experience.

During a conference call Monday, Gov. Sebelius, co-chair of the convention, said the theme on Aug. 27, when the vice presidential nominee will give his or her acceptance speech, would be “Securing America’s Future.”

Since Sebelius has no foreign policy or national security experience, some observers believe the theme suggests that Obama will choose Sen. Joe Biden, Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who unsuccessfully sought the presidential nomination in his own right.

Those who make book on such things continue to believe that while Sebelius was still in the top tier of possibilities, she is less likely than three other Democrats to be picked by Obama. According to BetFairSports, Sebelius, at 6-1 odds, is behind Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and Sen. Hillary Clinton.

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