Is McCain inching towards Pawlenty?---WHO?!

[wmenorr67]

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/07/23/is-mccain-inching-towards-pawlenty/

ROCHESTER, New Hampshire (CNN)  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.

CNN's Political Market: Pawlenty's stock on the rise

This GOP source noted that McCain also said nice things about Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and Rudy Giuliani, but those appeared to be standard lines he says about former rivals.

This source said McCain may have been talking about Pawlenty because the meeting was with New Hampshire GOP delegates, and the Republican convention is in Pawlenty's state.

But this source said McCain's praise was effusive, and noteworthy because it appeared to come "totally out of left field."

Pawlenty is a long-time supporter of McCain's. He's from a swing state with considerable support across the Republican Party, including evangelicals, and has always been thought by Republican strategists to be on McCain's short list.

The Minnesota governor, who is visiting Washington, was at McCain headquarters in Virginia today for meetings, according to a McCain aide.

Is this a good idea?  Or is this just games being played?  Why take a relative unknown and put him in this postition?  Of course there isn't much if any baggage with this guy but is he ready to be one heart beat away from the most "powerful" position in the US if not the world?

[Waitone]

Won't happen.  Romney has it.

[yesitsloaded]

I thought Jindal would have been good, but he won't touch it. Not that I blame him.

[longeyes]

Let's not be cynical, for a moment, and assume that McCain is really trying to win this thing.

He's swimming against the tide.  The media want Obama.  The academics want Obama.  The "new constituents" (think single women) want Obama.

McCain, the modest, life-sized hero, needs STAR POWER to compete.

He will not get that with Pawlenty o' Nothin'.

Jindal needs to be saved for the renascence in 2012 or 2016.  Too soon to shoot that arrow.  Romney is the guy.

[Lennyjoe]

Yea, I'm thinking its Romney also.

[yesitsloaded]

I'm going to laugh when Barr gets more votes than McCain merely for speaking consistently and making sense. He is kinda like Ron Paul without the "whiny" voice and the wacky gold standard spiel.

[Manedwolf]

I'm going to laugh when Barr gets more votes than McCain merely for speaking consistently and making sense. He is kinda like Ron Paul without the "whiny" voice and the wacky gold standard spiel.

No, he's an irrelevant spoiler, nothing more. And good lord, what are you smoking?!

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

I'm going to laugh when Barr gets more votes than McCain merely for speaking consistently and making sense. He is kinda like Ron Paul without the "whiny" voice and the wacky gold standard spiel.

Bob Barr has become the polar opposite of "consistent."

[taurusowner]

Jindal needs to be saved for the renascence in 2012 or 2016.  Too soon to shoot that arrow.  Romney is the guy.

Agreed.  Bobby Jindal really might be the Conservative we are all waiting for.  First he's got a big job to finish in Louisiana.  Once that's done, or a lot of progress is made, he'll actually have some accomplishment creds to speak about when he runs for Pres.  What we don't want is our own version of Obama.  Obama talks the liberal talk with the best of them(at least on teleprompter), but he has never accomplished anything.  We're gonna need Jindal to have both the right ideas and Conservative mindset, but with some successes to back it up.  The rebirth of Louisiana under his governorship will be a big help to his campaign.  Especially after Obama turn the whole country into one big New Orleans.  Jindal's ideas are going to be much needed to clean up Obama's mess.

[MicroBalrog]

Agreed.  Bobby Jindal really might be the Conservative we are all waiting for.

Please elaborate on this statement. I've been hearing about people liking Jindal, but his name means nothing to me.

Why not the lady from Alaska?

[seeker_two]

Unfortunately, Sarah Palin has family issues to deal with that would take her mind off the race (newborn with Down's Syndrome, IIRC).....

Kay Bailey Hutchison would help McCain's ticket a lot, but she may have her eye on the Texas Governor's seat, instead.....

...right now, McCain couldn't win even if he had Oprah as his VP.....

[MicroBalrog]

That's sad (both for her family and us Good Guys).

You know, a Republican/Libertarian Obama would be so goddamn awesome, really. Now where do we get one?

[Manedwolf]

You know, a Republican/Libertarian Obama would be so goddamn awesome, really. Now where do we get one?

An empty suit?

[MicroBalrog]

You know, a Republican/Libertarian Obama would be so goddamn awesome, really. Now where do we get one?

An empty suit?

I thought Obama was a radical leftist (to hear El Tejon speak), and one who's extremely charismatic.

I want a young, passionate, conservative/libertarian, who'll get the women to swoon and the young college kids to cheer.

[Scout26]

You know, a Republican/Libertarian Obama would be so goddamn awesome, really. Now where do we get one?

An empty suit?

I thought Obama was a radical leftist (to hear El Tejon speak), and one who's extremely charismatic.

I want a young, passionate, conservative/libertarian, who'll get the women to swoon and the young college kids to cheer.

That's Bobby Jindal, only he's not a empty suit.   Taurusowner nailed it.  Give Jindal time to clean-up Louisiana and then he'll have the experience and credibility to clean up the mess Obama is going to make.

[Manedwolf]

You know, a Republican/Libertarian Obama would be so goddamn awesome, really. Now where do we get one?

An empty suit?

I thought Obama was a radical leftist (to hear El Tejon speak), and one who's extremely charismatic.

I want a young, passionate, conservative/libertarian, who'll get the women to swoon and the young college kids to cheer.

That's Bobby Jindal, only he's not a empty suit.   Taurusowner nailed it.  Give Jindal time to clean-up Louisiana and then he'll have the experience and credibility to clean up the mess Obama is going to make.

At least for East America or whatever we break into.

[yesitsloaded]

Barr isn't inconsistent. He had a "Paul on the road to Damascus" moment over the unpatriotic act. All of his explanations make sense. McCain is just changing on the fly to please the conservative base. Obama is just a flag blowing with the winds of popular opinion.

[Balog]

I've given this a lot of thought, and to me this election is all about MacDaddy's VP choice. He picks a real conservative and I'll vote for him and pray the docs were optimistic about his health. Romney or some other psuedo-kinda conservative and my vote goes to whoever I can find that isn't an empty soul-less whore.

Although thinking I could find a politician who isn't is unusually optimistic for me.

[MechAg94]

Who is a "real" conservative these days?  Or at least in your opinion?


Y'all may thing McCain has no chance, but the polls are still fairly close. 

[MicroBalrog]

I've given this a lot of thought, and to me this election is all about MacDaddy's VP choice. He picks a real conservative and I'll vote for him and pray the docs were optimistic about his health. Romney or some other psuedo-kinda conservative and my vote goes to whoever I can find that isn't an empty soul-less whore.

Although thinking I could find a politician who isn't is unusually optimistic for me.

Balog, McCain stands for vouchers.

Vouchers are the one overriding issue that will win the long-term war for us, because they de-facto privatise education.

Vouchers will be the cancer that will kill the welfare state dead.

Please, for the love of all that's holy, don't buy into the third party spiel and vote for McCain in the election.

Yes, I respect Bob Barr very much, as much as Ron Paul (whom I think was the best candidate), but in this election, McCain is really the one to support, if only over vouchers, and judges, and taxes, and the fact that Obama hates America as we know it.

[agricola]

Unfortunately, Sarah Palin has family issues to deal with that would take her mind off the race (newborn with Down's Syndrome, IIRC).....

Kay Bailey Hutchison would help McCain's ticket a lot, but she may have her eye on the Texas Governor's seat, instead.....

...right now, McCain couldn't win even if he had Oprah as his VP.....

Its a shame if Palin doesnt get it, she would be by far the best fit with McCain of all the prospective candidates I have seen.  As for Romney, he is John Kerry with more hair dye.

[stevelyn]

Agreed.  Bobby Jindal really might be the Conservative we are all waiting for.

Please elaborate on this statement. I've been hearing about people liking Jindal, but his name means nothing to me.

Why not the lady from Alaska?

Because she's needed here worse and hitching her politcal cart to McCain would be the kiss of death for any other polictical aspirations she may have. Not to mention that she has far more integrity than McCain could ever hope to have and that alone would create disproportional unbalance to the ticket.
McCain is doomed and so are we for the next four years. No sense in dragging a rising star down with a sinking ship.

Besides, I'd rather have her take Don Young's House seat or hopefully Ted Stevens' Senate seat when that old bastid either dies or gets indicted.