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With Barack Obama on the verge of becoming the presumptive nominee and Hillary Clinton’s flirtations with being “open” to joining the ticket, CBS News’ chief political consultant Marc Ambinder looks at the early dynamics around a possible “dream ticket”:

So, will she be on the ticket? To answer that question, we have to figure out the right question to ask.

(1) Does Clinton want to be vice president?

It's clear that she is open to the possibility; it's probable that she hasn't had the time to contemplate the question with attention to all of the ramifications -- what it would mean for her personal ambition, what she would do, what Bill would do?

(2) Would Clinton accept the vice presidency if it were offered?

Clearly, say her aides and advisers. She wants to do what's necessary to unite the Democratic Party, and the consequences of refusing an invitation would be pretty terrible.

(3) Would Obama consider her, seriously?

At this point, no. The thinking in the Obama campaign is that the party will, over the next few weeks, coalesce around Obama; that the fervor to put her on the ticket will diminish; that right now, the active phase of speculation is driving most of the unity talk, and if Obama, by mid-summer, has a comfortable lead in the polls, the demands will die down, especially if he treats her with respect.

(4) So how does he treat with respect?

He vets her, or he indicates that he will vet her, and he vets at least one of her supporters -- perhaps Gov. Strickland of Ohio; he promises her a prime-time speaking slot; he offers to let her shepherd his health care plan through Congress; he promises her regular input in his decisions.

(5) There will be lots of pressure on Obama to change his mind, though.

Unquestionably. And since we're in the moment, a lot of it is to be expected. You can be sure that Obama will do nothing rash, and that whatever he decides, he's going to take lots of time. If the pressure on him does not abate and if the support of a good chunk of the 17 million Democrats who voted for Hillary Clinton does not migrate to him by the middle of July, then Obama might find himself in a quandary.

(6) So basically, the answer to the original question is: if Obama can coalesce the Democratic Party before he needs to pick a vice president, there's almost no chance that he will pick Hillary Clinton.

At her weekly press conference today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi weighed in on the possibility of a so-called Democratic "dream ticket" featuring both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

The verdict? Such a union simply isn't "politically feasible," Pelosi said. She called an Obama/Clinton or Clinton/Obama ticket "impossible."

Asked to elaborate, Pelosi said it was "up to [the press] to interpret" her comments. But she said they grew out of "a lifetime of political gut."

Pelosi also said there would be a "dream ticket" of Democrats – just not one involving the two frontrunners.

“Take it from me, that won’t be the ticket,” she said.

At her weekly press conference today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi weighed in on the possibility of a so-called Democratic "dream ticket" featuring both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

The verdict? Such a union simply isn't "politically feasible," Pelosi said. She called an Obama/Clinton or Clinton/Obama ticket "impossible."

Asked to elaborate, Pelosi said it was "up to [the press] to interpret" her comments. But she said they grew out of "a lifetime of political gut."

Pelosi also said there would be a "dream ticket" of Democrats – just not one involving the two frontrunners.

“Take it from me, that won’t be the ticket,” she said.

At her weekly press conference today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi weighed in on the possibility of a so-called Democratic "dream ticket" featuring both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

The verdict? Such a union simply isn't "politically feasible," Pelosi said. She called an Obama/Clinton or Clinton/Obama ticket "impossible."

Asked to elaborate, Pelosi said it was "up to [the press] to interpret" her comments. But she said they grew out of "a lifetime of political gut."

Pelosi also said there would be a "dream ticket" of Democrats – just not one involving the two frontrunners.

“Take it from me, that won’t be the ticket,” she said.

Barack Obama says Hillary Clinton's campaign is trying to "hoodwink" Democratic voters by floating the idea of a "dream ticket" – with the New York Senator at the top of it, of course.

"You all know the okey-doke," Obama told voters in Mississippi, "when someone's trying to bamboozle you, when they're trying to hoodwink you." Obama ripped the silliness of such an idea coming from the candidate who is struggling to find a path to the nomination. "I don't know how somebody who is in second place is offering the vice presidency to the person who is first place," he mockingly said. But what Obama did not say is that he would never take it.

Obama may have batted away the idea but it's one now firmly planted in the minds of those Democratic voters yet to weigh in on the process (including potentially in Florida and Michigan) and, just as importantly among the superdelegates who look likely to play a decisive role in settling the nomination.

Obama is the heavy favorite to win today's primary in Mississippi and then comes a six-week break in the action. If a week is an eternity in politics, six is forever. Obama will hold a 100-plus lead in delegates, will have won far more states and will maintain an edge in the overall popular vote, but perhaps not large enough of a lead to make his eventual victory a certainty.

Six weeks ago today, Clinton was declaring what appeared to be a meaningless victory in Florida and both campaigns were preparing for the monumental Super Tuesday, which was thought to be the decisive moment in the campaign. Now the maneuvering of Florida and Michigan is threatening to extend the playing field and injecting more uncertainty into the campaign. Throw in the idea of a "dream ticket" and the next six weeks won't be boring on the presidential front. Okey-dokey?

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