The Trail: A Daily Diary of Campaign 2008

Just watched ABC This Week on Feb 23, and Sen Kay B Hutchison said she is not running for VP. On Fox, Gov Pawlenty and Gov Sanford said they are just too busy with their day jobs to think about this.

So why not accept the fact that if McCain picked either of them or even Condi Rice that they would join the ticket? It would be an honor for any of them and NO ONE really runs for the post. Huckabee is not helping McCain win the nomination, so I doubt he is going to be asked to join the team.

Condi as VP would be great, and Kessler did write a book about her. That might help.

How about Senator Barbara Dole????????????
Or Kay Bailey Hutchison. Both are from the South and both are CONSERVATIVE. With Hutchison, he gets the support of one of the largest states.

I think John McCain needs a southerner on the ticket, someone who can unite social and economic conservatives, but yet bring new voters into the fold...

JC Watts for Vice President
http://draftjcwatts.typepad.com

JC Watts would be a more qualified President than Barack Obama. "You see character does count. For too long we have gotten by in a society that says the only thing right is to get by and the only thing wrong is to get caught. Character is doing what's right when nobody is looking." Obama should learn from this.

McCain and Mitt Romney....

Conservatives get out your Shotguns.

Time for a "Wedding"! ;~)

jm917-Good points. However, for the GOPbers to have anything but the largest loss of representation in the History of this Country-Due to Straight Ticket Voting, the GOPbers need an Executive Ticket that will UNITE the Base. McCain should seriously reconsider having a Running Mate that is a Mirror of him.
HE has admitted HE does not understand the Business Aspects that well, while Mitt Romney's weakness has always been Military aspects. One appeals to Moderates more, the other has strong Conservative ties-Without playing the "Religion" Card for it! As far as the Evangelicals, they have McCain.

Immigration? Both the Senator and the Mittster approve of LEGAL Immigration.

ILLEGAL Immigration? THAT is a result of an EMPLOYMENT ISSUE! The FAILURE of the Federal Government to inspect W-4's on the Employees of Construction, Services, Landscaping, and Automotive "Skilled" Jobs, that are often small Business's but definitely add up to the MILLIONS of ILLEGAL Un-Documented Jobs lost to Invaders the Magnet pulled here!
Outsourcing the millions of jobs would have been better! At least then, our Schools, Hospitals, Communities, and JAILS, would not have been overwhelmed!

Crack down on the Employers and their lack of records, Fine the Violators, and reverse the Magnet! ;~)

I too thought about Mel Martinez as McCain's VP mate. Knowing McCain, I think it'll come down to someone he's worked well with in the past, respects, and would use as a close adviser. I though at first he might go across party lines, but because of the GOP right thing, not likely. One thing for sure, it won't be Ann Coulter.

If HRC somehow steals the nomination, a black VP nomination could exploit black disenchantment with her in much the same way Bob Ehrlich's naming Steele as his running made did in 2002. Colin Powell, unfortunately, has baggage, but there are other black Repubicans. J.C. Watts comes to mind (would/could the Clintons attack a _second_ blackman as underqualified?).

On an irrelevant note, doesn't John McCain look like Douglas McArthur when he bade farewell to the nation?

There seems to be a tendency by advocates of both parties to want to promote rising stars who have just been elected to an office. A lot of Democrats are calling for James Webb for veep even though he has only served two years as a senator. An Obama-Webb ticket would be a slate of two rookies.

I have heard Republicans mention Governor Charlie Crist of Florida and Bobby Jindall of Louisiana. Why take them away from a job where they could do some good and make them vice-president particularly since in Jindall's case, he has just started his term as governor. Give them a chance to prove themselves.

I don't think McCain should try to "out novelty" the Democrats by putting a minority or a woman on the ticket. It will pale in comparison to the Democrats ticket whether it is Obama or Clinton.

I think that former Ohio Representative John Kasich would make a good choice. McCain has confessed to economic ignorance and Kasich would fill that gap. He is also an expert on the budget and is popular with conservatives so that could help heal the real or imagined breach between McCain and conservatives.

Plays to win single states like Minnesota and Wisconsin by picking Tim Pawlenty or Tommy Thompson are iffy at best. Choices like that only help on one front. A choice such as Kasich helps on numerous fronts.

McCain's over riding standard in a running mate is to find someone that he believes will be able carry on as commander in chief in a time of war.

Forget all the hogwash about selecting a economy guru.
Or about selecting a young person.
or about selecting a good geographical fit.

His only concern is selecting a like minded adherent of the use of military force to resolve conflicts of belief.

Look to Joe Lieberman.

Two peas in a pod.

I've yet to hear a voter say they voted for a presidential candidate because of who the veep was.

A Vice-President may complement the ticket, but voters ulitmately go for who is at the top.

It would be cool to see Sen. McCain choose Sen. Hutchinson or Gen. Powell or Secretary Rice. They are all competent political leaders who could be president at a moment's notice.

Is there a great female Republican governor out there? That could work too. Any of these choices would add some spice to a typically bland Republican ticket.

McCain/Powell in '08?

You had me at "hello."

Mr. McCain and his party have a difficult choice here. Statistically, it is likely that his running mate will be President before the next election if they win. This is an OLD man, and the White House is not the House of Lords that the Senate is. Is this a good time for the US to have another State Funeral? I don't think the "coalition of the willing" would make a very long guest list. Might be embarrassing.

Regarding the Florida VP possibilities, Mel Martinez is not a native born citizen of the U.S. (born in Cuba), and is therefore not eligible to be VP. Governor Crist is quite a dynamic figure in Republican politics (one of the few with a pulse). But let's face it, he is far too reasonable, bordering on outright liberal, and he has lifestyle issues that are incompatible with the intolerant hard right faction (majority?) of the party.

The Tommy Thompson proposal is either deluded or farcical. I'm not sure anyone has ever managed to run a more plodding, uninspired campaign than T. Thompson did this past year, unless he was outdone in that feat by the other Thompson, Fred.

McCain only cares about foreign policy, so keep an eye on General David Patreus. He could make himself available to serve.

Condi is so much identified with GWB and all that's been wrong with him that she'd be dead in the water as McCain's VP. And teaming up with Powell would force CP to open up about a lot more of his past relationship with Bush and the WMDs than CP is ready to do. That's a non-starter, too. Besides, Powell is getting pretty elderly--and paired with McCain, that's not good news.

The Rev. Huck: the economic-royalist wing of the GOP, which was dubious about McCain all along, hates him like the devil hates holy water. And no middle-of-the-road or thinking independent would want the Rev on the ticket and one heartbeat from the presidency.

McCain desperately needs to quiet the uneasy rumblings on his right--the Reaganite Old Believers, the Wall Street Journal editorial writers, the read-my-lips taxcutters, the neocons, what used to be called the GOP Old Guard, and the corporate fat cats who will bankroll the 527s for him. Romney might be brought on board to satisfy those folks, even if the hatred between McCain and Romney is deep and abiding. But more likely Romney will refuse, preferring to soldier on as a good trooper who endorses the ticket and hopes it loses so he can resume his candidacy in 2012; if he goes down gallantly with Mac in 2008, he could get buried in the rubble.

So it'll probably be some unremarkable Republican governor or senator whose chief virtue is that he (yes, he) doesn't look ready for the old people's home.

In 2012, assuming that McCain loses this time, look for the leading GOP contenders to be named Huckabee, Romney, Gingrich--and J. Bush. Those guys are all positioning themselves now for the next tilt at the ring.

I'm not sure if anyone closely connected with the Bush admin. (Rice or Powell) will be able to run for the presidency. Especially not Rice.

And despite what he says, I don't think McCain can avoid putting someone on the ticket who is either female or a minority. A double white male ticket would get mowed down in the general election UNLESS it's Huckabee or another far right evangelical.

Condi will likely return to Stanford (probably the Hoover Institute) for a short respite, then run for governor of California. I don't think she would allow herself to be "used" as a VP mate in this election. Why bother, she could run for president in 8-10 years, and will only be 60ish.

emancipation65 wrote: "McCain/Powell in '08!"

If anybody can find the WMD, those two can, right?

Well, McCain got the "demoralized Republican electorate" right.

So David Letterman did some old people jokes directed at John McCain. Are these fair - or does it matter because they are funny?
http://thefiresidepost.com/2008/02/21/mccain-is-a-mall-walker-letterman/

McCain, of anybody, needs the strongest of VP's, with out a doubt.

JFK ran such a great campaign the dead literally rose from their graves to give him the margin in IL. I don't think Obama (or Clinton) will need the dead to win IL this year.

If McCain wants to play offense, he'll ask Tommy Thompson and secure WI. Tommy Thompson is still popular with the "Reagan Democrats". If a McCain-Thompson ticket cannot win WI, where less than 1% of the vote gave it to Gore and Kerry, McCain cannot win. People talk about Pawlenty, but living in WI and working in MN, I think Tommy T is more of a lock than Pawlenty and Tommy T brings huge domestic policy experience (change experience working with Democrats) that McCain sorely needs. In addition to Thompson's welfare and education reforms, he predicted the tainting of the food supply in his going away speech when he left HHS.

His other options.
1. Secure FL with Charlie Crist or Mel Martinez. If Obama chooses Richardson, there is an argument to counter with Martinez. There are also the counter-arguments: Republicans have alienated Latino voters so it's pointless and if McCain's immigration stands can't win Latino votes, Martinez won't help.
2. If he thinks Obama is going to draw huge numbers of new voters into the process and challenge in red states, then you need someone who can empty the pews in red states and swing states aka Mike Huckabee.
3. Find a Republican who can guarantee a bigger swing state than Tommy T (OH or PA). Not sure if one exists.

Colin Powell! McCain/Powell in '08!