McCain’s VP Choices

There has been a lot of speculation on McCain's possible Vice Presidential choices. I have seen articles promoting particular choices and commentary attacking others. Since this seems to be the newest past time, I thought I would join in. There are a few generic qualities most Presidential candidates look for. The VP candidate should complement the policy choices of McCain. The candidate should be able to bring a state or two with him / or her. In McCain's case, I think the campaign would be wise to look for someone who also looks presidential. Obama and his advisers are likely to attack McCain on his age. Therefore, McCain should probably pick someone that he believes the American people would accept as a President. As such, here are my Good, Bad, and Odd predictions.

The Good. These are the candidates that I think would bring something to the table, and I would personally be excited about. First out of the gates would be Mitt Romney. Many conservatives would prefer him to McCain for President. Romney has an impressive business resume, and the economy is likely to be a center stage topic in October. Romney is also likely to take Michigan off the table, and may even deliver a few other states. A very close second could be Condoleeza Rice. I have written about her before as a great VP candidate. I think her resume looks good, I think she takes race off the table this cycle, and there are many voters who respect her and would respond to her.

The Bad. Senator Joseph Lieberman. There are a number of rumors about a possible "Unity ticket" with McCain and Lieberman. Let's put aside the fact that McCain almost did this dance with Kerry. Lieberman isn't a Republican and shouldn't represent the party on the ballot. I respect him (as many conservatives do), but I disagree with him on 90 % of the issues. Far from reassuring me, if something terrible happened to McCain, I would not want to see a President Lieberman. I call this the "doomsday option". If we see this ticket it is either because McCain really doesn't want to win in November, has been reading his press from the 2004 election cycle, or his senior staff has decided they don't like McCain or the Republican Party. If McCain picks Lieberman before the convention, I could even see a new Republican candidate coming out of the convention.

The Odd. What fun is speculating on the VP choices without throwing a curve ball that no one expects? Here is mine: Brett Favre. That's right, the record holding Green Bay quarterback who may or may not be in uniform this season. Before we dismiss this too quickly, let's look at the pluses. First, he has name recognition. A McCain / Favre ticket is likely to take Wisconsin and Minnesota. That's 27 electoral votes that went to Kerry in the 2004 election. Plus, Favre may do well in cities that have NFL teams. Many of those teams are located next to large cities. Where do Democrats traditionally do well? Second, it has been rumored that the McCain camp is hurting for cash. The Packers are rumored to have offered Favre a $20 million payoff to stay retired. If McCain could get Favre out of their hair, perhaps they could create a 527 (Concerned Packers for 2008) that could use the money advertising for the ticket. Finally, Favre looks healthy enough to take on the Presidency. Compared to everyone else in the race (Obama included) he looks like a Greek god.

Those are my picks. On the off chance we do end up with the McCain / Favre ticket, remember where you heard it first.