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Warren as VP less scary for Wall Street than as AG

Wall Street may be trembling at the thought of bank-bashing Senator Elizabeth Warren becoming Hillary Clinton's vice-president. That might, however, be the least of the industry's worries. The Massachusetts Democrat would have far more power as the nation's top law enforcer - with an army of prosecutors ready to ensure no executive is too big to jail.

Warren ignites the liberal base in a way that Clinton struggles to do. The former Harvard Law professor's fiery critiques of financial institutions - and championing of the Dodd-Frank Act -have made her a darling of left-wingers. She would be helpful in wooing supporters of Clinton's rival, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who is also a big bank basher and attracted mass crowds during campaign rallies.

The native Oklahoman has also proven to be an effective counter against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. In a speech on Thursday, she called him "a loud, nasty, thin-skinned fraud who has never risked anything for anyone and serves nobody but himself". Her tweet storms against Trump generate enthusiastic responses from Democrats.

But the vice-presidential role is often largely ceremonial. John Nance Garner, Franklin D Roosevelt's mostly forgotten vice-president, said the office wasn't "worth a bucket of spit". While being a seat away from the presidency is a high-profile job, Warren wouldn't have the operational pull that comes with leading a government agency.

She would be more effective in promoting her causes as attorney general. Warren has repeatedly questioned current and past attorneys general on why Wall Street executives weren't jailed for the 2008 financial crisis and other wrongdoing. Last September, the Justice Department issued a memo directing prosecutors to focus more on individual accountability. It's still unclear whether it will be fruitful.

Clinton has other possibilities for the role. Preet Bharara, US attorney in Manhattan, would also be a strong pick. He has gone after hedge funds, big banks and corrupt politicians, though he suffered a setback with a recent ruling setting a higher bar for insider-trading convictions.

Whatever the case, Warren's star is sure to rise under a Clinton administration. It would shine the brightest as the nation's top prosecutor. That should worry any remaining miscreants in the financial business more than Clinton choosing her as running mate.