KEY POINTS:
One is a former beauty queen. Another is a business icon. Others are governors, senators and diplomats. All are women.
The race is now on for both John McCain and Barack Obama to choose a running mate and - call it the Hillary legacy - speculation is running
wild that either, or even both, will pick a woman.
Clinton may have failed to become the first female President, but her campaign has paved the way for a number of other women potentially to get on the ticket as Vice-President.
As the Clinton-Obama battle demonstrated, mobilising female voters with a strong woman candidate can be a powerful political tool. Clinton's defeat by Obama has also left a large swathe of disillusioned supporters who could be impressed by a candidate who picks a woman.
"There is a lot of advantage to be gained from it, especially on the Democrats' side," said Professor Tracy Osborn, a political scientist at the University of Iowa. "They have a lot of people who backed Clinton recovering from a long fight. Picking a woman might appease them."
Since Geraldine Ferraro became the only woman so far to appear on a presidential ticket, in 1984, the pool of possible women candidates - especially among governors - has grown enormously.
In a column last week entitled "The Case for a Woman as Vice-President", political writer Douglas Drenkow argued that it was vital for Obama to pick a woman. He needed to do so not just as a matter of Democratic politics but to lessen the impact if McCain went with the tide and selected a female vice-presidential candidate.
Top of potential Democratic picks is Kathleen Sebelius, Governor of Kansas. She has shown the political nous to win popularity for Democrats in a state that in recent history has been strongly Republican. At 60, and as a two-time governor, she would bring much-needed age and experience to Obama's campaign.
But Sebelius is not alone. Another name being bandied around is Claire McCaskill, a senator from Missouri. Despite strong pressure to endorse Clinton, she backed Obama and helped him to win her home state. Missouri is also likely to be a vital state in the November election and McCaskill could boost Democratic chances there.
Finally, there is Hillary Clinton. The narrowness of Obama's win means that her name has to be on any shortlist for Vice-President. Picking her would perhaps offer the best chance of healing a divided party.
However, it would also bring in a host of other problems, including the campaign role of Bill Clinton. There is also some speculation that Hillary does not want the job. But no one is ruling her out. The former first lady could still return to the White House.
The Republicans, too, are mulling the advantages of a woman. If they chose one and Obama did not, it could be a major coup with undecided women voters.
The most intriguing Republican choice would be Carly Fiorina, the former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard, whom Forbes once called the most powerful woman in business. She has become a powerful adviser to McCain and has been travelling extensively with him in recent weeks.
Another possible female pick for McCain is Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. She is the darling of the conservative wing of the Republican Party, which McCain is seen as needing to bolster.
Once a beauty queen in her home town of Wasilla, she has gone on to carve out an impressive career in the rough and tumble of Alaskan politics, earning a political image as a tough woman, famed for riding snowmobiles and eating moose burgers. She is also a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association and has had five children.
The political gossip blog Wonkette once dubbed her "America's hottest governor". Given McCain's age and crusty persona, a glamorous, dynamic female running-mate such as Palin would be a presentational bonus.
Finally, there is also a groundswell of support in some Republican circles to try to get Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's name on the ticket. Though Rice has repeatedly stated that she has no interest in the job, several supporters' groups have sprung upto push for her to be considered.
"It is probably a much harder decision for McCain to make, and then there is his age. McCain's pick is more likely to end up actually being President," said Professor Shawn Bowler, a political scientist at the University of California at Riverside.
Both Palin and Fiorina would bring youth and excitement to a McCain campaign in need of both. Then again, both Obama and McCain could revert to type - old, white male, type.
Last night Obama said that on the trip he will make next week to European capitals and Iraq and Afghanistan he would be accompanied by Senator Chuck Hagel, a Republican, and Senator Jack Reed, a Democrat. Each has been mentioned as a potential Obama vice-presidential running mate. Hagel served as an Army sergeant in Vietnam and was twice wounded in 1968, earning two Purple Hearts. Reed, a West Point graduate, was a former Army Ranger and paratrooper.
"They're both experts on foreign policy. Neither of them are ideologues but try to get the facts right and make a determination about what's best for US interests - and they're good guys," Obama said.
VICE-PRESIDENTIAL PROSPECTS
OBAMA'S POSSIBLES
KATHLEEN SEBELIUS
This two-time Kansas Governor is a growing force among Democrats because of her popularity in a deeply Republican state. She has even persuaded some top local Republicans to switch parties. Would women feel appeased by any female on the ticket or would Hillary Clinton's supporters feel further affronted by a woman VP who isn't Hillary?
CLAIRE McCASKILL
The senator from Missouri took a brave stance by backing Barack Obama when the pressure on her was to go for Hillary Clinton. That helped Obama to win Missouri and boosted her standing. The same question mark over a non-Clinton VP applies.
HILLARY CLINTON
Whether she wants it or not (or if Obama wants to offer it or not), she has to be considered for the job. Picking her could unite the party. But would she have much appeal for independents and moderate Republicans? She has very quickly rallied to his side, but there's still the thorny problem of Bill Clinton in Obama's White House
McCAIN'S POSSIBLES
CARLY FIORINA
She has risen to the top in business, showing she can perform in a male world. But the former Hewlett-Packard boss drew mixed reviews on the campaign trail. She could boost John McCain's economic credentials. A promising candidate if he wants a balanced ticket of economic and security experience.
SARAH PALIN
The Governor of the wild state of Alaska is in many ways a Republican dream: Highly popular, unabashedly conservative and yet with youth, beauty and a sense of humour. She's a gun-toting mother of five.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE
She has said repeatedly she does not want the job. Choosing her would boldly show the Republicans are racially diverse. Her links to Bush are a negative. She had her fingers burned by 9/11 and Iraq, but has given Bush's foreign policy a diplomatic focus in his second term, with success in North Korea. It depends if McCain wants to go for an all-out security ticket.
- OBSERVER, AP
