No. 2 Bill Richardson

A former cabinet member in the Clinton Administration, Bill Richardson's endorsement of Obama was a key point in his primary victory over Hillary Clinton. And Richardson also helped Obama carry New Mexico, a state George W. Bush won in 2004.

The New Mexico governor earned considerable derision from the Clinton camp - James Carville famously compared him to Judas. Richardson did gain much of his foreign policy experience under Bill Clinton, as he served as Ambassador to the UN and was sent on various foreign policy missions, for which he was thrice nominated for the Nobel Prize.

If he were appointed, Richardson would become the nation's first Secretary of State of Hispanic descent. Richardson was raised in Mexico City and speaks fluent Spanish.

Richardson has the endorsement of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: "There's no one more qualified to be part of the president's cabinet than Bill Richardson and I would hope that he's under consideration." Though his appointment probably would create a clash of egos with Biden, whose own selection owed much to his foreign policy expertise.