Sources say McCain Veep List Narrowed; PEP Picks the Front Runners

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Sources say McCain Veep Pick to Come This Week

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Update: Is this politics or a beauty pageant? The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal cites "a source" in presenting a list of what's rumored to be the top six semi-finalists for the role of VP on the McCain ticket.

Here's the run-down:  "Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn, former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge." -- Source

My take: Romney's name is a courtesy nod. Powell's a popular name, one that will get media air time. Lieberman, a nod to the outer fringe of the party. Ridge? Huh? On a short list? Now, that's ...interesting.

Palin? A good name to float, great buzz, and the gender card. Palin will be smart enough to stay in Alaska, where right now, the world is her oyster.

Powell's a good man, good credentials, and can bring a race card to a table where Obama's race card --"vote for Obama to prove you're not racist"--as pushed by his followers trumps all. But Powell could change that, offering experience, wisdom, and a less edgy candidate.

And then--Pawlenty. If you're heading to the betting window, put your money on Powell, Palin, and Pawlenty.

Bet Pawlenty to win. Unless Condi Rice changes her mind, then it will be Rice.

But who will win Miss Congeniality? Hint--don't bet on Lieberman for that bouquet of roses.

Earlier updates and original story follow.

Update: the media is reporting that Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has said "thanks but no thanks" to any possibility of being McCain's VP choice. Of course, we'll never know if that's a turn-down for this dance, or a polite out for someone who's been turned down, not in the dance of politics!

Update: CNN has joined those flirting with the McCain-VP story:

" It's VP tea leaf reading season, and a Republican source who attended a small private meeting with John McCain Tuesday in New Hampshire tells CNN that the GOP candidate dropped a serious hint about Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.

The Republican source said "out of the blue" McCain told the gathering that he thinks they are "really going to like" Pawlenty."

Original story follows.

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.

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.

Note: the above commentary includes some opinion.

Update: In a biting commentary, the Boston Globe said that Romney's decision to regard his personal loans to his own presidential campaign as "contributions" sent a signal to McCain that he wanted the VP slot. 

Update: The Minneapolis Star Tribune earlier took a look at the race for a job "not worth a bucket of spit"--and how this year it's very different.

"For more than three decades, the National Governors' Association has assembled on presidential election years as one of its members made a bid for the White House — a Carter or a Reagan, a Dukakis, a Clinton or a Bush.

Not this time.

With two senators as the presumed nominees of their respective parties, the governors have been consigned to the running-mate heap. There, along with others, they are being picked over for a job described by Depression-era Vice President John Nance Garner as "not worth a bucket of warm spit" — yet one that's a heartbeat away from the presidency."

Update: At U.S. News and World Report, Liz Halloran tosses former eBay head Meg Whitman and former Hewlett-Packard chief Carly Fiorina, both unlikely choices, into the "possibles" pot.  She poo-poo's Jindal.