Monday, July 28, 2008

JOHN MCCAIN

When to Name the Running Mate? How About At the Convention?

Veep rumors come and go. My sources hear little or nothing; I suspect that there's a short list, and if a decision has been made — and that is far from clear — McCain and maybe Steve Schmidt and Charlie Black know. McCain's old crew in Arizona isn't hearing much.

Beyond who McCain should pick, I offer one easily-ignored bit of advice: Wait. Wait until the last possible second. David Frum wrote at length at how conventions are pretty much meaningless these days, offering suggestions on how to make them more relevant.

Imagine heading into the Republican convention with the veep buzz unabated. Every political junkie in the country, and probably more than a few non-junkies, would tune in the first two nights just to see if the news broke. 

And then, on Wednesday night, with the entire political world waiting in breathless anticipation, and with all of the finalists in the convention arena, the curtain suddenly rises on... 

Alternative idea: Have McCain name a "shadow cabinet" of who his preferred cabinet nominees would be...

07/28 11:21 AMShare