Choosing #2: McCain's Top Picks as the Race Heats Up

Posted on Wednesday, July 23 2008 at 2.07 PM in Americas Print Email

Veteran journalist and politicalexpert Patricia Phillips looks at John McCain's top VP choices

The rumor mill is flying with varied reports that Sen. John McCain may be ready to pick his running mate. Will this develop--or will trial balloons be floated?

A Republican dream team could be McCain-Secretary of State Condi Rice. However, Rice has previously declared she won't run.

A potential pick to keep your eye on: Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Young, personable, and slightly more to the progressive side of the line, he could add a definite cutting edge to the McCain ticket. Earlier this month, however, Pawlenty said that as far as he knew, he wasn't being vetted for the VP slot. CNN this morning flirted with the idea of Pawlenty, noting a sudden compliment from the McCain team.

Another name frequently mentioned in the speculation is Florida Governor Charlie Crist. Amiable and personally popular, Crist could, however, carry the baggage of Florida links to the Bush family. On the other hand, his approval ratings in a state that's often a whirlwind of tempests in several teapots skyrocketed to over 70% during his term.

Color this part of the campaign Louisiana hot: Gov. Piyush "Bobby" Jindal, who's also in the running. At 37, the Indian (Asian)-American Jindal would bring not only youth, but a break in what some see as the "color barrier" of a potential Republican team.

Jindal's being touted in the party as a young rising star in the Ronald Reagan mold, with both Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich singing his praise. Then again, going up against what is probably the most leftist candidate in generations, if not ever, in Sen. Barack Obama, the McCain team may not want such a definite divide between conservative and ultra-liberal.

An extreme conservative-liberal divide is basically a hole in which a voting truck could barrel through, and McCain can't afford those risks. If he takes Jindal, the team will have to spin the "Gipper" effect fast and hard.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is a mixed bag, with high unemployment stalking his home state. Cross off Mike Huckabee, who, although popular with some evangelical Christians, doesn't have the economic background nor the name brand recognition. He does, however, have hot guitar licks.

Again and again the name Mitt Romney floats to the surface. There are pros and cons to Romney--name recognition and a solid track record of accomplishment on the plus side. On the negative side--the team would look like Mt. Rushmore's dream team of "rich white men".

If he can't get Rice, McCain's best bet in terms of achievement and promise--although perhaps not as much name brand recognition--is Pawlenty, in this writer's opinion. However, if McCain needs personality and power, then Crist will get the nod, virtually guaranteeing a tough, strong voting bloc in Florida.

Missing in the current crop of speculation: the name of a strong woman VP candidate. But keep an eye on Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who's the original can-do woman and whose name has been floated before.

Former beauty queen, current NRA member, a pro-life feminist, and a mom who barely took sick days to deliver her fifth child this spring, Palin last year had approval ratings of 90%. She's smart, feisty, invigorating and could bring a lot to the campaign and the job.

If the McCain team can't get Rice and wants a strong woman, Palin just might come from the outside and get the nod. If she does, the campaign could spin into a new direction that would combat the "first" playing card the Obama camp uses as trumps.

The poker faces are on, and the cards are being dealt in a high stakes game that could be the key hand in the American game of presidential take-all. Pep's picks for the final draw: Rice, Pawlenty, Crist, Jindal, and Palin.

Then it's up to McCain and his advisors to play the final card in this hand before moving on to the face-off. McCain needs to draw an ace, so this choice will be both tense and exciting to watch.

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