31 Comments

• 1. neocon  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 9:23 am

  I at once thought Romney would be the best choice. BUT……..I now want Palin.

  A successful, popular, conservative Governor from an oil rich state, sign her up.

  have an “excessive profit” kind of day
  peace, neocon

• 2. js  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 9:29 am

  if he pulled Rice that would trump obama and induce a good percentage of the fem’s to become republicans…..

• 3. David A.  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 10:15 am

  As of now, I believe Gov. Romney is the most qualified individual to serve as Sen. McCain’s VP. Not only does he bring substantial experience from the private sector as a successful businessman, but he also brings public service as the one who reorganized the broken ‘02 Olympics and as Governor of MA. While he does bring some baggage to the table, it is still minimal. He can articulate the positions of a McCain campaign and future administration better than any other candidate….and even looks the part.

  As for Gov. Palin, she comes from Alaska. I am pretty sure, its 3 electoral votes are already swinging the GOP’s way. In it’s history, it has only once voted for the Democrat nominee. While she brings executive experience, this is minimal in the state of Alaska. The only reason to place her on the ticket is to make the ticket diverse….in other words….because she is a woman. Which is fine with me, if that is what McCain wants to do.

  However, in this election it is important to look at what the candidates can do for the down ticket. A McCain-Romney ticket will definately help those candidates down ticket out West, and in MI and NH. This would help Senate candidates like Bob Shaffer in CO and Steave Pearce in NM, not to mention countless House races.

  While this election is about keeping the White House in safe hands with GOP control, it is also about making sure the Democrats do not gain more control in the Senate and reach a filibuster proof majority and expand their control in the House.

  As I said before, Romney is the best choice for Sen. McCain. That being said Sen. Thune, Rep. Cantor, Gov. Pawlenty, Gov. Palin, Rep. Kasich are all fine choices. I hesitate to throw Cantor in the mix, because he is young like Jindal whose times will come. We can throw the future of our party up to fall as the Democrats have done to Obama.

• 4. David A.  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 10:16 am

  We can throw the future of our party up to fall as the Democrats have done to Obama.

• 5. David A.  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 10:17 am

  We cannot throw the future of our party up to fall as the Democrats have done to Obama.

  (….I’m a little slow this morning)

• 6. Retired Spook  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 11:26 am

  I tend to agree with David about Romney.

  I’m not a big Thomas Friedman fan, but he had an oped a few days ago that hit the nail on the head.

  Just a few months ago, the consensus view was that Barack Obama would need to choose a hard-core national-security type as his vice presidential running mate to compensate for his lack of foreign policy experience and that John McCain would need a running mate who was young and sprightly to compensate for his age. Come August, though, I predict both men will be looking for a financial wizard as their running mates to help them steer America out of what could become a serious economic tailspin.

  I also agree with David that Romney has some minor baggage, but he’s the ONLY prospective VP candidate on either side that could rightly be described as a “financial wizard.

• 7. SEW  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 11:39 am

  My preference here would be Palin. Women will vote for her simply because she is a woman, which will negate some of those voting for Barry simply because [s]he is black. Jindal is awesome, perhaps the best candidate by far, but as in affirmative action he actually would not attract additional votes as a “minority” or woman would.

  Interesting link here unrelated to VP but open thread.
  http://soldiersangelsgermany.blogspot.com/2008/06/trust.html

• 8. CanadianObserver  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 11:44 am

  2. js | July 2nd, 2008 at 9:29 am

  if he pulled Rice that would trump obama and induce a good percentage of the fem’s to become republicans….

  ———————————-

  McCain needs to stay as far away from the Bush gang as he possibly can.

  There are just too many negative memories sticking to Rice. She would be a definite hindrance to his chances. Not that he has much of a chance, regardless of whom he might chose.

• 9. keystoneRepublican  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 11:57 am

  Gov. Jindal is very impressive, indeed. However, it is not his time yet. He has done great things for Louisiana but the job isn’t finished. Louisiana still needs him.

  I don’t want the GOP to make the same mistake the Dems have made in propelling someone who is young and somewhat inexperienced into the political stratosphere. He still has life experiences to learn before he should put in the White House. Has he had far more accomplishments than Sen. Obama? Absolutely, by leaps and bounds but it’s not his time yet.

  I don?t know about Gov. Palin. I’m not sure how interested she would be considering she has a two ½ month old baby with special needs. Being VP will be far more demanding than being Governor of Alaska.

  I agree with David A. Gov. Romney is my choice for VP. For me, it will take the sting out of having to vote for McCain. In this case, I would be voting for Romney rather than McCain. Whether McCain would serve one term or two, Romney would be the incumbent.

• 10. js  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 12:01 pm

  Romney will loose the religious vote because of his record with homosexuals in MAss.

• 11. js  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 12:04 pm

  I dont think so. Rice is a very well spoken person, and with the minority populations she would pull a substantial vote. Obama really would have a hard time chuckin and jivin his was around Rice…she is straight to the point and factual. She has held respect before world leaders even with the DNC slandering her and the Bush Admin every chance they get.

  Its got nothing to do with bush.

• 12. David A.  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 12:06 pm

  7. SEW | July 2nd, 2008 at 11:39 am

  …Jindal is awesome, perhaps the best candidate by far, but as in affirmative action he actually would not attract additional votes as a “minority” or woman would.

  ——————-

  Gov. Jindal has great prospects in the GOP, but to say he is the best candidate by far is ludicrous. He only became a Congressman in 2004, and has been Governor for for less than 1 year. While his experience in state politics is impressive, it is not where it needs to be to put him on par with other candidates (ie. Romney, Kasich).

  A major concern for people is that Sen. McCain looks old. Could you imagine what the pictures would look like if you put the two of them together. McCain is in his 70s and Jindal is 36 or 37. It’s not a good picture. There is no doubt that Gov. Jindal has a future in the GOP, but this is not his time. Let him fix the problems in LA first, before he moves on to higher office.

  As for Rice, I had hoped she would run for President a while back. However, she is not an individual to run for office. If you look at her background, this is not her cup of tea. Sen. McCain should not pick anyone out of the current administration for 2 reasons. First, they all bring too much baggage and second, they all need a break. Let them relax a bit and make some money. Working for the adminstration has got to be a greuling experience taking a toll on family life and your bank account.

  As I have said previously….Romney is still the best choice.

  I challenge someone to prove otherwise.

• 13. Bigfoot  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 12:13 pm

  Gov. Jindal is very impressive, indeed. However, it is not his time yet.

  I’d like to see Jindal on the ticket - in 2012 or 2016.

  As for McCain’s running mate this year, I like Rep. Cantor, or Rep. Kasich, or maybe former Rep. JC Watts.

• 14. Retired Spook  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 12:48 pm

  One of the interesting things about this discussion is the wealth of quality candidates on the GOP side. There are at least a dozen who have been mentioned that would be acceptable to me. With all the Lefties who post here, it’s somewhat odd that, in the first 3-1/2 hours of this thread, there has not been a single prediction for a Dem VP. The most frequent name I’ve heard mentioned on the news shows is Ed Rendell, who might help Obama clinch Pennsylvania, a state that is otherwise looking more and more like a toss-up, but, unfortunately, Fast Eddie is, well, Fast Eddie, a died-in-the-wool machine politician. The Dem’s bench is deep with Obama look-a-likes (in terms of ideology, not physical appearance), but you can count the moderates with any government experience like Senator Jim Webb and former Senator Sam Nunn on one hand and have fingers left over. Obama really has a dilemma in picking someone who would be an asset in terms of balancing the ticket or helping in a battleground state, or both.

• 15. Kahn  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 1:01 pm

  Condi, if she’d take it. She probably wouldn’t.

  CO actually has a point about being associated with Bush. Hate to admit it, but he does.

  But I still like her. What can I say?

• 16. phnx  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 1:06 pm

  Its interesting how many Dems have already turned down the VP spot for Obama, Mark Warner and Jim Webb of Virginia, Hillary, Ed Rendell among just a few. It might be tought to find someone despearte enough to jump on the peace train as numero dos. I think Obama should name some one with strong military credentials to counter McCain, and bolster his ticket. Someone like ohhh I dunnno…General Weasley Clark…yeah that’s the ticket. General I got fired by Bill Clinton ’cause I screwed up Clark…a real leader.

  Just wind him up point him in the right direction and he’ll say anything that can later be disavowed.

• 17. Retired Spook  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 1:10 pm

  phnx, I wasn’t aware that Warner, Webb & Rendell had already declined. That really narrows the search. I agree; the Weasel would be a great pick.

• 18. hermie  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 1:14 pm

  Now, now phnx…the Dems and their trolls here have been saying that a military background isn’t necessary and in fact, is detremental to the selection of a President (or Vice-President). It’s ‘judgment’ and ‘character’ that matters now. Funny though, Obama has shown that he lacks that as much as he lacks any real experience.

• 19. hermie  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 1:18 pm

  I would love Romney to get the VP slot, but the MSM and the Dems have been smearing Mormons for quite some time now, so I’d be happy with him being named Secretary of the Treasury in a McCain Cabinet.

• 20. OhioOrrin  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 1:25 pm

  condi

  she trumped cheney re the use of diplomacy for north korea…w some positive results (yet more promised) unlike the hawk approach.

  as an aside, if one regards the justification to invade iraq as faulty (no WMD, no precursors, no manufacturing facitities), then cheney/rummy/wolfowitz were diasters for W & the nation.

  back on point, CONDI 4 VP

• 21. James  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 1:51 pm

  My understanding is that Jindal is Muslim. So on that basis he should not be picked.

• 22. David A.  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 2:24 pm

  The best pick for Obama is former Sen. Nunn. He brings everything Obama lacks….which is quite a lot. He’s from the South (GA) and after a brief tenure in the House, had a nice career in the Senate. He also brings a plethora of defense/foreign policy experience to the ticket.

  Mark Warner took himself out of the running for the same reason he took himself out from running for POTUS…..skeletons. Rumors surround him that he hasn’t been too faithful to his wife in the past, who by the way hated Richmond. Staying in VA and running for Senate…keeps everything out of the national media and hidden for now.

  As for Webb, this guy is a joke and a political hack. I cannot wait until the GOP takes him next time. He would have had no chance of winning if it wasn’t for Sen. Allen’s foot-and-mouth disease. (Not a bash against Sen. Allen, as I would have loved to see him run for POTUS).

• 23. SEW  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 2:42 pm

  “As I have said previously….Romney is still the best choice. I challenge someone to prove otherwise.” David A

  I certainly like Romney and you might well be correct. But to challenge someone to ‘prove’ otherwise is as ludicrous as challenging you to prove he is the best choice. Subjective opinions are not provable.

• 24. e-mailer  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 2:43 pm

  Pssst, Piyush Khanpura Jindal is a Hindoo.

  Pass it on.

• 25. bagni  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 3:04 pm

  hindu, muslim, krishna,
  for the average tennessee voter
  they are all terra firma terrorists
  jindal is a cosmic creationist to boot
  bad choice

• 26. Fredrick Schwartz  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 3:06 pm

  2. js | July 2nd, 2008 at 9:29 am

  That is the redneck quote of the day!

• 27. Pain  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 3:10 pm

  President Palin, that would be precious and hopefully people would have enough boats and planes to flee the US in before very heavy things start falling randomly from the sky.

  Harry S Truman found himself in a similar situation that Palin could find herself in but the former high school cheerleader is no Harry S Truman!
  No matter if Mccain is the victor in November with palin and things to go terribly wrong of course it will be the fault of the Democratic Congress.

• 28. js  |  July 2nd, 2008 at 11:27 pm

  26. Fredrick Schwartz

  so you are a bigot, big deal…we already knew that

  so far you missed on every point

  you really should change the name though, schwartz is derogatory for blacks in germany these days

  either that or you are a scumbag nazi wannabe anyways and this is how you disrespect people

  end run-im not a red neck-but you are still the mental midget you were when you got here not so long ago….

• 29. arcman46  |  July 3rd, 2008 at 9:06 am

  Pain in the a**, I’d trust Palin as POTUS to protect this country a heck of a lot faster than NObama.

• 30. neocon  |  July 3rd, 2008 at 9:51 am

  Pain,

  I thought you liked cheerleaders…..

  have a hot lesbian day
  peace, neocon

• 31. NightTrainLane  |  July 4th, 2008 at 10:35 am

  JS: Please let me tell you something about surnames like “Schwartz.” Jewish people are stateless and because they were not allowed to own real property for most of human history, they were not allowed to use their own last names. To comply with the laws of various diasporal way-stations, they picked innocuous surnames based upon common nouns, proper names of cities, or alternate spellings of common surnames in their host countries.

  “Schwartz” does indeed mean “black”
  “Braun” means “brown”
  “Kuznestov” mean “Son-of-Smith”

  Who knows what Fredrick Schwartz’s “real” surname is. It could be something “benEliezer”. This exactly like African-Americans who have Anglo surnames like Jackson or Jefferson.