[rhadin]

Should something happen to Obama, Biden would become president-elect. Should something happen to Biden as well, we are in political nightmare land.

Biden would become president-elect because of the way the electoral college votes work, and because there is a planned-for succession -- the reason for the vice presidency. Alas, there is nothing to guide the course of events should something happen to both men.

I would add that because it has never occurred in our history, even the certainty of Biden becoming president-elect isn't 100% certain, especially with the polarized Supreme Court being the final arbiter. However, I suspect that the certainty factor is 99.99999999999999 ad infinitum % for multiple reasons, mainly practical, just like it was certain to that extent that John McCain would not be denied the possibility of being elected and serving as president because he was born on an American military base in Panama rather than within the US proper.

Need also to mention that although Obama has been declared president-elect by the media, technically he is not yet president-elect. He becomes president-elect once the electoral college meets and casts its votes. Although many states require the electors to cast their ballots based on who they were elected to vote for, some do not and those electors can cast their ballots as they wish. We do not vote directly for a president; we vote for electors who are pledged to vote for the particular candidate.