McCain to announce running mate on Friday By Elisabeth Bumiller and Michael Cooper WASHINGTON: Senator John McCain has decided on his running mate, two Republican strategists in contact with McCain's campaign said Wednesday. He is expected to reveal his choice at a rally at a basketball arena in Dayton, Ohio, at 11 a.m. Friday. McCain's decision is known only to his small inner circle of advisers, no more than three or four people, who have refused all public discussion on the matter. Republicans close to the campaign said that the top contenders remained the same three men who have been the source of speculation for weeks: former Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and, possibly, Senator Joseph Lieberman, independent of Connecticut. It was unclear how seriously McCain was considering his good friend, Lieberman, who favors abortion rights and whose selection could set off a revolt among delegates at the Republican National Convention next week in Minneapolis-St. Paul as well as a furious backlash among Christian conservatives, a crucial voting bloc of the Republican Party. But as recently as Tuesday, McCain was said to still be entertaining the idea of Lieberman, who was Al Gore's running mate on the Democratic presidential ticket in 2000. Under this option, McCain's choice of Lieberman would help him appeal to women, independents and conservative Democrats in a tough year for Republican candidates. "It's really alive in McCain's mind," said one Republican consultant familiar with some of the campaign's deliberations. Other Republicans said they suspected that whatever McCain's personal views, his aides could be pushing Lieberman with reporters as part of a disinformation campaign to stir interest in the selection and to make it appear as if McCain, a longtime opponent of abortion, was open to all possibilities and was therefore more of an independent candidate. Some Republicans also said that Lieberman did not catch fire as a campaigner in 2000 and that he would alienate more voters, particularly evangelicals, than he would attract. McCain's inner circle was described as divided on the choices, although one Republican close to the campaign said that there had been no raging internal debate. Whatever the aides' opinions, McCain was said to have made the decision on his own. Romney remained the most talked-about possibility on Wednesday among Republican Party officials and on cable television, not least because of the theory that he would help McCain win Michigan, a crucial state in this election and where Romney's father served as governor. But Pawlenty gained some currency as the day wore on because of what were perceived as Romney's downsides, particularly his wealth as many Americans face financial struggles and his past as a venture capital manager. McCain came under attack from Democrats on this front after he was unable to say in an interview last week how many houses he owns. (The McCain campaign said he had four houses, and the Obama campaign said eight, with McCain's wife. Romney said Wednesday that his houses amounted to "one less than John Kerry," the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, which would add up to four.) "Twelve houses between them, two rich guys, it's almost like shooting fish in a bucket," said Ed Rollins, a Republican strategist who led Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign this year. In a preview of Democratic attacks should Romney be on the Republican ticket, David Plouffe, Senator Barack Obama's campaign manager, told reporters at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday that Romney was a "job-killing machine" because of business deals he did that sent jobs overseas. A Romney spokesman, Eric Fehrnstrom, responded that Romney had run the Salt Lake City Olympics and a successful business and that Obama "has never run anything, not even a corner store." Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Republican of Texas, was also mentioned as a possibility on Wednesday, but veteran Republicans quickly discounted her because of what is described as her cool relationship with McCain. "It's meshugeneh," said Kenneth Duberstein, who was President Ronald Reagan's last chief of staff, using the Yiddish word for crazy. Link Also...per Drudge MCCAIN HAS DECIDED ON RUNNING MATE... PERSON WILL BE NOTIFIED TODAY... SOURCE: NAME MAY LEAK AT 6 PM ET... WITH SOME SORT OF CONFIRMATION AT 8 PM... DEVELOPING... NEWS HAVOC...
Re: BREAKING: McCain decides on VP, could leak today Colin Powell FTW Nah, expect something equally vanilla as the Biden choice.
Re: BREAKING: McCain decides on VP, could leak today DENVER - Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting John McCain stayed mum about his pick of a running mate Thursday and one top prospect, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, abruptly canceled numerous public appearances. Without explanation, Pawlenty called off an Associated Press interview at the last minute, as well as other media interviews in Denver, site of the Democratic National Convention. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080828/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_veepstakes
Re: BREAKING: McCain decides on VP, could leak today I think Romney, unfortunately, can't be the nominee anymore. Pawlenty is young, charismatic. He's got executive experience. He talks a lot about the Republican party, and how it has to reclaim its' principals, and stop advocating on behalf of the wealthy and start advocating on behalf of those that shop at Sam's Club. I said before he wouldn't be a good pick. I was wrong, and I think he's the only good pick left at this point if you had to choose between Romney, him, and Lieberman.
What I've been seeing on TV is that all the potential VP choices will appear on stage tomorrow as a show of unity. I wouldn't read anything into who has wiped out their schedules for tomorrow.
McCain could make a huge splash and scare the bejeezus out of the Obama camp by picking Condaleeza Rice as his VP. If he picks any of the mentioned choices, other than Lieberman or maybe Tom Ridge, he's only going to generate some heat with his base and not with anyone else. If he wants to put a wet blanket on Obama's speech tonight, he's got to give the press something really exciting to talk about.
I love Rice, but it's just more ammo for the Obama camp. He does need something to give him more of the news headlines, because there's a big hurricane coming that's overshadow the coverage of the RNC.
Romney is a flip flopping doofus yet people here in Utah love him. They think he's some kind of white knight & it's obvious why. Evangelicals, Baptists, & McCain's mom would implode if Romney were the VP. Liberman is the safe choice. Don't know much about the Governor of MN. I'm under the impression he is more of Libertarian type republican?
It's safe if he's looking for someone to save his seat at the Bingo table. Loserman is not going to be his candidate. It doesn't make sense to me. Loserman is a sort of hybrid just like McCain, and he's almost as old as McCain. McCain's party is going to suggest someone other than Arlen Spectre, Colin Powell, or Joe Loserman. I'm betting Romney. Edit: "Loserman" is something I read from Republican bumperstickers after the 2000 election results were still being counted.
I think the Obama camp would be relieved if he took Condaleeza Rice as his VP. It only further ties him to G.W. Bush. Kay Bailey Hutchison I think would scare the Obama camp if you're thinking women.
That's the point. You want those Hillary votes. That's how you get them. The women who voted for Hillary Clinton probably aren't Condy fans in the first place. I think they'd be very drawn to Hutchinson. Sure he'll tick off the eveangelicas but I don't see them voting for Obama anyways and this election isn't going to be about "moral" issues like G.W. Bush made the previous ones. They'll be issues but I don't think they'll be out front like you heard in the past.
Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, is rumored to be his choice. Tho she's said to not be in Ohio for the announcement. Another name being repeated on TV is Meg Whitman, former CEO of eBay. Palwenty and Romney have reportedly been called and told they're not the pick.
