Dos and Don'ts
Dan McLaughlin at Redstate has a good post on the dos and don'ts of VP picks. The list of don'ts is fairly long, including no senators, no Bushies, no old retired guys, no pro-choicers, no closeted gays, and no lobbyists. The one point I disagree with the most is the exclusion of people like Chris Cox and Rob Portman, who while appointed by Bush, are not perceived as being an extension of the administration.
More importantly is where this list leaves us. If you agree with most of the dont's--and I do--the process of elimination narrows the pool to very few candidates. McCain himself has ruled out picking a pro-choice candidate, which eliminates a lot of names you tend to hear bandied about--Condi Rice, Tom Ridge, Charlie Crist, Kay Baily Hutchinson, Joe Lieberman. The most logical choices left are: Tim Pawlenty, Mark Sanford, and Mitt Romney. Talk about a short shortlist.
