Veepstakes- Volume 2

At around the beginning of the month, until John McCain announces his running-mate, I am going to post a list of what I think his best ranked options are to help him achieve victory in November and serve with him as Vice President. The numbers in paranetheses are where I had them ranked last month:

1. Mitt Romney- former Massachusetts Governor and 2008 Presidential candidate (1)
2. Rob Portman- Former OMB Director and former Ohio Congressman (4)
3. Christopher Cox- SEC Chairman and former California Congressman (3)
4. Tim Pawlenty- Minnesota Governor (2)
5. Mark Sanford- South Carolina Governor (5)
6. Bob Riley- Alabama Governor (6)
7. J.C. Watts- former Oklahoma Congressman (7)
8. John Kasich- former Ohio Congressman (8)
9. Haley Barbour- Mississippi Governor (9)
10. Tom Ridge- former Pennsylvania Governor and former Secretary of Homeland Security (new)

Now, to be quite realistic, only the top five names on this list probably really only have a chance. With that in mind though, I have bumped Condi Rice from the list after she recently made it clear that she would have no desire to run for Vice-President or any elected office. So, if McCain really wants to take a risk and pick a pro-choice Republican, which would anger many social conservatives, Tom Ridge would probably make the most sense. If not for Ridge's position on abortion, he would make a heck of a lot more sense for McCain.

Otherwise, I have come to the conclusion that if my guy Romney is not going to get picked, Rob Portman may make the most sense. As it is, he seems to be more on McCain's radar than Chris Cox or anyone else. Tim Pawlenty is definitely a real possibility but after having read some stuff about his record as Minnesota Governor, it is clear that some conservatives might not be too excited about such a pick.

Obviously, McCain is going to consider other names as well. Reportedly, associates of Mitt Romney believe that Florida Governor Charlie Crist (who is not on my list) agreed to endorse John McCain right before the crucial Florida primary as part of a quid pro quo to put him on the ticket. I certainly hope that was not the case.