Republican Vice President

THE GOP SECOND BANANA

An older President who spent time in a Vietnamese prison hell is likely to bring more attention to who lies a heartbeat away from the Presidency. There is no real clear answer on who gets this warm bucket of spit. Is it regional balance? Another old guy? A more conservative/liberal guy? A younger guy? A woman? Here's the first cut, more to follow. Gotta run the numbers.

Mitt Romney
To me, Mitt Romney is very similar to McCain in that his past incarnation is much more appealing than his current one. He is the Jaws II of potential candidates. Romney was elected Governor of one of the most liberal states in the union, a state that liked to balance their Democratic legislature with a nice, fiscal conservative Rockefeller republican. This is a guy who actually gave Ted Kennedy a run for his money in the Senate. But then he decided to run to the right in the GOP primaries. Of course this made him an attractive candidate across the 50 states with his keen business sense and perfect hair. I've beat up on Romney before, to me not a bad governor who gave up his job halfway through to run for President. Also this guy flip flops like a madman, running seconds behind his polling data. I like Romney for Secretary of Treasury or Transportation. He is likable though, and doesn't have the baggage of other candidates. Probably the front runner.

Bobby Jindal

Young Bobby Jindal, the balance to McCain's age issue, a youthful Roman Catholic from the Deep South. Strongly pro-life governor with Congressional experience. But wait a second, it an Indian guy. I think this is the GOP's thinly veiled attempt of showing the diversity of it's big tent. This of course from a party who recently had a major candidate use the term "macaca" in his campaign. He's a rising star in the Republican party but there is now way he'll ever make the final cut Oh and by the way, he's a skinny dude, so I don't trust him.

Joe Lieberman

Joe Lieberman is the Manny Ramirez of the Democratic party. He does things that constantly piss Democrats off, supporting the war and a neo-conservative foreign agenda and then goes and is pretty progressive domestically supporting things like gay rights.

In some ways he is way too liberal for the GOP. He is a Scoop Jackson type Democrat, supporting America's military projection of power beyond the water's edge but that's where it really stops. On gun, God and gays he doesn't follow the Republican's blueprint, and he certainly doesn't drag many Democrats over to McCain. Oh and he seems even older than McCain. Joementum brings McCain nothing.

Mark Sanford

I'm tempted to throw Tim Pawlenty into this same category. Young conservative governors to balance out the old man legislator. With the increased imperial power of the executive branch it will be necessary to have someone who has had this type of experience, that is the actual execution of appropriate policy. One of these young governors would likely be John McCain's domestic policy liaison, trying to straighten out a lot of issues around infrastructure, education, oh yeah and regulation and oversight over our banking and corporate friends. In some ways, putting a conservative republican in charge of oversight of markets seems like a laissez faire abomination, but folks after all this crap, hopefully that ship has sailed.

Rudy Giuliani
Sorry I just think that's a hilarious concept. I could probably write Giuliani's address to the convention. A whole lot of 9/11 and tough talk, painting the Democrats as being the party of law enforcement against your bitter enemies trying to kill you rather than going out and hunting down your enemies. Using some old recycled anti-Dukakis propaganda. Giuliani gets to be among the paraders of the Democrats are weak and you're going to die speakers that you will hear from Minnesota.

Charlie Crist
So, he really isn't gay. Good Time Charlie is now engaged to a younger, smart, well educated, pretty costume company heiress divorcee. Perfect arm candy for a vice presidential candidate. As the Chief Administrator of God's Waiting Room, Charlie has insight into what it will take to win one of the major swing states. Charlie may have better personal appeal, but it's hard to say if the condition of his state will hurt him. Most people around the country like the idea of Florida as the Magic Kingdom or a week at Boca, but may not see it as a model for the governing of their own state, no income tax or not.

That's it for now.... Coming soon some Democrats and the obligatory women added to the GOP short list, who will it be Liddy Dole??? Sarah Palin???