McCain May Act Soon On VP Pick

Washington Post: Aides Predict Announcement Before Olympics, Which Are Two Weeks Away

(Washingtonpost.com)  This story was written by Michael D. Shear and Robert Barnes.

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Anxious to counter the blanket media coverage that has followed Sen. Barack Obama on his overseas journey, Sen. John McCain is weighing whether to announce his running mate in the coming weeks before the spotlight shifts to China and the opening of the Olympic Games next month.

"He's in a position to make [the decision] on short notice if he wanted to," said Charles R. Black Jr., one of McCain's top political advisers.

Two top aides to the presumptive Republican nominee said the decision is likely to be announced after Obama returns from Europe on Sunday and before the Beijing Olympics begin Aug. 8. They said the campaign fears that unanticipated events coming out of China -- whether in the form of athletic accomplishments or human rights protests -- could deflect attention from the announcement if it were made during the Games.

The Olympics conclude the day before the Democratic nominating convention opens in Denver, and the GOP convention begins in Minneapolis-St. Paul just four days after the Democratic gathering ends.

Aides to the most likely candidates to join McCain on the ticket, meanwhile, offered terse "no comment" replies when asked whether they have been asked to provide documents that the campaign can use to vet backgrounds.

The list of likely contenders includes former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former U.S. budget director Rob Portman and former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge.

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VP Hot Sheet: McCain
CBSNews.com tracks the veepstakes buzz and ranks the top contenders. See who's number 1!

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Asked several questions about the selection process, Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom repeatedly declined to comment. Representatives for Portman, Jindal and Pawlenty also would not say whether they have provided documents to McCain aides.

Ridge, a close friend of McCain's, said in an interview that he has had no conversations with the senator or his staff about being a running mate.

"I have not. I can only be interested if John is," Ridge said Tuesday. "I'm not lobbying for it. I'm not seeking it."

Ridge, who was first elected to Congress in 1982, at the same time McCain came to Washington, bonded with the Arizona Republican as a fellow Vietnam War veteran. He has been considered as a potential running mate before, providing vetting documents during the 2000 campaign to Richard B. Cheney, who was handling the selection process for then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush.

In the end, it was Cheney who was chosen.

This year, McCain has tapped Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr., chairman of the Washington law firm O'Melveny & Meyers and a counsel to President Ronald Reagan, to oversee the selection of a running mate. Culvahouse has declined requests to comment, and McCain has been circumspect on the topic.

"I can't comment on it," McCain told reporters as he traveled through Wisconsin last week. He promised to describe his search process after it is over, declining to elaborate befor then. "I don't think it's fair to the people we are considering," he said.

Asked this week about Pawlenty, McCain again declined to comment on the governor's standing in the search but quickly ticked off a list of attributes that would argue for his selection.

"He's a great, fine person," McCain said. "Reelected in one of the toughest reelection years in the history of the Republican Party. His father, I am pretty sure, drove a truck. He has been pretty successfully . . . able to work across the aisle in Minnesota with the Democrats."

Pawlenty was in Washington this week, conducting media interviews on behalf of McCain and attending what the campaign described as "meetings" at McCain's national headquarters in Arlington. Portman accompanied McCain to a fundraiser in Columbus, Ohio, yesterday.

Jindal appeared on Fox News this week to tamp down expectations, telling "Fox & Friends" that he intends to remain governor of Louisiana, a job he has held only since January.

"Let me be clear: I have said in every private and public conversation, I've got the job that I want," Jindal said. "And I'll say again on air: I'm not going to be the vice presidential nominee or vice president. I'm going to help Senator McCain get elected, as governor of Louisiana."

Aides said Romney is vacationing this week with his family on the Canadian side of Lake Huron and is scheduled to be at his home in Wolfeboro, N.H., next week.

"What I can say is that there is a lot of guessing and speculation going on," Fehrnstrom said. "Governor Romney expects to be campaigning for Senator McCain as a supporter of the ticket, not a member of the ticket."

The timing of McCain's announcement has been hotly debated within the Republican Party as he and Obama eye a calendar that is tightly packed with major national and international events.

This week, syndicated columnist Robert D. Novak wrote that McCain was poised to make an announcement before week's end, but Novak later complained that he may have been used by aides to the McCain campaign to gin up attention for their candidate. If it was a ploy, it worked, as speculation about McCain's vice presidential choice provided a rare news breakthrough for the senator during Obama's overseas trip.

Many Republicans say the traditional time frame for an announcement -- the days leading up to the GOP convention -- is not practical this year, because the Democratic convention ends so soon before the Republican gathering. It's unlikely, they said, that McCain would announce his pick the day after Obama gives his convention speech.

And several McCain aides said they oppose the idea of making a vice presidential announcement during the Olympics.

"It's not that it wouldn't get covered. But if you are looking for a calm sea and no waves . . . you don't do it during the Olympics," said one senior Republican adviser.

"We don't know when some breakthrough performance will happen," the adviser said. "All sorts of news can come. . . . What if there's some sort of human rights protest?"

washingtonpost.com staff writer Chris Cillizza contributed to this report.

[starleo146]

It is hard to believe that any successful Republican would accept an offer from McCain. If Jindal, Pawlenty, or Portman accepted that offer, then they would potentially be kissing their own future aspirations goodbye. Reference John Edwards. The McCain ticket, coupled with the Republican brand problem, is a career killer for any VP nominee. I just do not see McCain being able to attract anyone top-notch to his ticket. Luckily, I''''m voting for Obama and he will easily attract a top-notch running mate. Obama ''''08

Posted by MaryanneAZ at 05:05 PM : Jul 26, 200

I know and I believe everyone knows Mitt Romney will be it, he is the only one hungry enough to put his egotistical self in the mix, he tried to buy the presidency. I don''t care who he picks really a woman wouldn''t make him a choice for me

[maryanneaz]

It is hard to believe that any successful Republican would accept an offer from McCain. If Jindal, Pawlenty, or Portman accepted that offer, then they would potentially be kissing their own future aspirations goodbye. Reference John Edwards. The McCain ticket, coupled with the Republican brand problem, is a career killer for any VP nominee. I just do not see McCain being able to attract anyone top-notch to his ticket. Luckily, I''m voting for Obama and he will easily attract a top-notch running mate. Obama ''08

[alan090250]

I''m supporting John McCain. I''ve wondered about his choice for VP, and my sense is that he needs a new person on the horizon in politics, some fresh face that would invigorate his campaign.

I voted for Hillary Clinton in the primaries, and although an astounding good choice, I doubt it would work. I don''t think Colin Powell would work either, although another good pick. His connection to the Bush White House would not help. And being from Massachusetts, I think Mitt Romney is another bad choice; he has too much old baggage.

John McCain needs a younger person, with a "fresh" look, and somnone to can help make some "sparks fly" on the campaign trail. Senator McCain needs to take back the "Maverick" title he so well deserves and show his stuff.

Thanks for listening.

Alan Dennen

[manolete4]

John McCain is a Maverick; and nobody can predict what a Maverick will do when it comes to choosing a VP.
I believe it would be a Maverick move to choose Hillary Clinton as VP and take away from Babama the majority of the democratic votes and in the end the conservative republicans will have to live with it.

Would that be Maverick?
A McCain/Clinton ticket?
I love it!

[bretster7]

No liberal bias in the media, what?
Check this out from one of your own
http://www.slate.com/id/2195914/#latedict


Ha

[babooph]

If he picked a democrat & Bama A republican some could then see the election,like the rest will have no "change".

[obbcbs]

Young people. Please participate in the election. Going to rallies doesnt count. You have to register and then vote. You can vote by absentee ballot so you dont have to get up early the day of the election. I know that eliminates most of you since you didnt turn out, four years ago, after all.
13% of women under 26 voted last presidential election. Think about it.
70% of people over 65 vote. Guess who elects the President and the Senate.
If you want real change, elect 65 or 70 Democrats to the Senate.
In case you didnt know, nothing real gets done in the Senate because without a big majority, either side can just talk the day away until there is a crisis and no money to fund anything.
More than half the women under 26 dont even register to vote.
Your civil rights will be decided by the next choice of Supreme court Justice. Cant you get it together to register and then really vote, just this once? Only 60% of registered voters bothered to show up, the last election, which was decided by the Amish farmers in Ohio. Millions of people dont even register. Come on gals, show up and act like citizens, just this once. We need you. You need you. Please.

[kansas1946]

The BEST chance John McCain has of beating Barack Obama is by selecting Colin Powell his Veep candidate. Then, the election, will be, O-V-E-R,! OsiSpeaks.com


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Posted by KYJurisDocto at 05:40 PM : Jul 25, 2008
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Powell''s views on Iraq and the middle east are more closely in step with Obama''s than McCains. Besides, then you have a president and a VP with absolutely no experience on the economy, or any thing elso other than war and foreign affairs. I think most Americans are a lot more worried about their mortgage than they are about a terrorist jumping out of the bushes.

[obbcbs]

McCain is whining because Obama went on a trip to foreign countries during the campaign. However, since the campaign began, McCain went to Canada and spoke positively about NAFTA, and went to Mexico and South America where he was on hand when the people were released from the radicals in Columbia. Why does McCain get to define Obama''s trips as bad but his trips are useful or good? Answer, EVERYTHING OBAMA does is bad, and EVERYTHING McCain does is good.
Just ask Bill O''Reilly and McCain. They know.
What a crock of bias we are being fed by the media. Why do they feel they have to even give air time to such spin?

[obbcbs]

Bretster

The price of gas has gone up because the value of the dollar under Bush has gone down by 50%. When Bush took power and started his war on civil rights, the Euro was worth 70 cents. Now a Euro is worth $1.60.
That means the real cost of OIL denominated in Euro''s is unchanged.
Only US dollars are worth LESS.
90% of the damage was done in BUSH''s first six years in the three congressional terms before Pelosi took power of Congress, and every important bill she got passed, in the past year, BUSH veto''d.

[obbcbs]

McCain:
" Pay attention to me, I might pick my VP candidate. He might be Powell, who is as old as I am, but still has his faculties"

Thanks for the non-information. Stop b.s.''ing yourself and us with this non-news CBS, PLEASE.

McCain might ask Powell, but I have the feeling that the General has had it with politics especially after the way he was abused by Cheney/Bush and the neocons.

[KYJurisDoctor]

The BEST chance John McCain has of beating Barack Obama is by selecting Colin Powell his Veep candidate. Then, the election, will be, O-V-E-R,! OsiSpeaks.com

[donnie1042]

The only reason why I watch Fox is cuz their chicks wear miniskirts. If I listen to''em, I git sick of''em in something like 5 minutes.

[donnie1042]

Pretty soon we''re gonna be git''n tazed when we take a shower too. Might do me some good.

[donnie1042]

They''re just charging us what they charge the troops.

[hungry1968]

HUNGRY...

WHACH''''U HUNGRY FOR?

FOR WHAT....MORE O''''BAMMA WIENERS?

Posted by tiddsanbeer at 04:50 PM : Jul 25, 2008






Fox News ISN''T BIASED!!!!

HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

[hungry1968]

BTW when Pelosi took over gas was $2 65 a gallon, it has increased by more since the dems took control, How do you explain that one

Posted by bretster7 at 04:48 PM : Jul 25, 2008





I''ll answer you question, with a question:

"What happened in Cheney''s top secret energy meetings with the big oil executives?"

[hungry1968]

They had a one vote majority until Jumpin Jim Jeffords left the party. Then Cheny would cast a deciding vote if it came down to it. It did not. The so called Republican led congress, had a lot of help from the other side of the isle.

Posted by bretster7 at 04:48 PM : Jul 25, 2008




I don''t know where you get your math skills OR information from:

109th Congress:

231 republicans
201 democrats

senate:

55 republicans
44 democrats




108th Congress:

228 republicans
206 democrats

senate:

51 republicans
48 democrats

[bretster7]

The republican led congress and senate helped him ruin this country


They had a one vote majority until Jumpin Jim Jeffords left the party. Then Cheny would cast a deciding vote if it came down to it. It did not. The so called Republican led congress, had a lot of help from the other side of the isle



Congress COULD HAVE launched an investigation, but they VOLUNTARILY chose not to.


Congress has looked into price gouging THREE times and they did not find any evidence, the last two times it was by a Democratic controlled congress. BTW when Pelosi took over gas was $2 65 a gallon, it has increased by more since the dems took control, How do you explain that one