This presidential election now hinges on the selection of the vice presidents and the impression of the entire package to voters.

To begin with, the oddly feckless, passive Republican Party failed to come forth with a credible, vetted candidate.  Instead, they dawdled and left the door open for a number of questionable odd ducks and wannabes to declare themselves, compete, and – in the vacuum – win.  Worse, the party failed to have a reputable alternate candidate ready and are only now scheming to surface one at the Cleveland convention if they can sidestep the legal obligations of delegates during that first vote, which betrays the will of the voters they represent who have selected Trump.

All of this, anyway, is too little, too late.

Likewise, the Democratic Party was force-marched to accept its candidate, leaving Democrats open to an irrational Socialist who understandably gained a strong following from young people by offering a cornucopia of pie-in-the-sky freebies, such as free college and medical care for all, with not a scintilla of an idea how to pay for the trillions of dollars of promises.  The Democrats are now married to a candidate recognized as extremely careless with security and dishonest and contemptuous of laws and restrictions.  She operates in the mode of that arrogant New York real estate mogul, Leona Helmsley, "The Queen of Mean": only the little people must abide by laws.

The hands have been dealt, and both parties must move ahead with their dodgy choices.  As George Wallace said, "there's not a dime's difference between them."

Facing this reality that neither political party has arrived at appealing presidential candidates, much of the coming election hinges on the choice of vice president.  They each have one more choice and can better their hands by picking strong running mates.

This election now has become a choice of the lesser of two nearly equal evils, and the selection of V.P.s can shift the odds considerably; hence, these selections are of great importance.  With Donald Trump's selection of Mike Pence, it offsets voter concern over Trump's inexperience and tendency to be undiplomatic with numerous off-the-cuff gaffes.  Pence is cautious, conservative, and well-spoken.

The attention now shifts to see if the Clinton campaign selects someone who offsets Hillary's many failings – and to then see which total package is the most promising for the voters and the country.

Not surprisingly, the voters are focusing on these vice presidential choices as the last hope of regaining some sanity for the future of the nation – not the America we have known in the past.

Gene Poteat is a former CIA senior scientific intelligence officer.  He is also the president emeritus of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers in Falls Church, Virginia.