Looks like the short list.
Weekend Barbecue Fuels Speculation About McCain’s VP Choiceby FOXNews.com
Saturday, May 24, 2008
(From left to right) Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney were all invited to John McCain's Memorial Day retreat, fueling speculation about his VP choice. (AP Photos)
John McCain’s Memorial Day bash at his Arizona retreat could provide the first public clues to the presumptive GOP nominee’s thinking in choosing his future running mate.
The weekend-long affair in Sedona, Ariz., is strictly “social,” his campaign says — but the guest list is a who’s who of politicians thought to be on McCain’s VP short list.
The three big names are Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
Former White House budget director Rob Portman, Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman were also said to be attending. Former GOP candidate and Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was reportedly invited, but did not plan to attend.
The guests arrived Friday for what was supposed to be a weekend of hiking, barbecuing and fishing.
So does the best fisherman win the prize?
McCain adviser Mark Salter said earlier in the week that no VP vetting is on the agenda, and McCain has cast it as an informal event.
“It’s just having a group of friends for Memorial Day weekend to visit us and enjoy one of the most beautiful places in America. It’s no more and it’s no less. I wanna assure you,” McCain told reporters Thursday.
But speculation was widespread, as reporters were not allowed on site and were mostly staked out at the end of McCain’s private road. Romney and Jindal could be seen joining the group at a local hotel restaurant Saturday.
The McCain camp recognizes the vice presidential pick as the next potential game-changer in the race. And with the campaign sending mixed signals about what type of voter he’s trying to court, his VP decision could make the crystal clear the kind of campaign he intends to run.
Radio talk show host Steve Malzberg told FOX News that whomever McCain chooses, it’ll take more than a weekend in Arizona for him to make up his mind.
“I don’t necessarily think it’s down to these three and that a decision will be made, even in his own mind, by the end of this barbecue weekend,” he said.
But the guessing about VP prospects was only rooted in hints from the potential candidates themselves.
Jindal acknowledged at a recent National Press Club appearance that he’s on “the list.”
And since dropping out of what was once a bitter primary race against McCain, Romney has endorsed the Arizona senator and pledged to help him win the nomination.
McCain said more than a month ago that his VP search efforts were in their “embryonic stages.”
The Arizona senator has picked former Reagan official Arthur Culvahouse to help him with the search, but McCain aides say the candidate is heading up the search effort himself.
This comes as Democratic sources say Obama is already assembling a team to begin his VP search — once he secures the nomination.
It will be a critical choice for both candidates.
The New York Times reported in an article Saturday on its Web site that several GOP strategists are concerned McCain hasn’t done enough since clinching the nomination and that he’s at a crossroads in terms of how he’s casting his candidacy.
The same candidate who staked his reputation on attacking special interests in Washington has endured startling revelations about the lobbying ties of his campaign staff. The same candidate who appeals to progressive voters with talks on global warming ended his campaign schedule last week with an address to the National Rifle Association, the article noted. Plus he has vigorously aligned himself with President Bush on foreign policy over the past week.
The Times reported Saturday that informal adviser Mike Murphy told McCain in a recent meeting in Virginia that he should concentrate on running as a reform candidate and make more of an effort to distance himself from President Bush.
FOX News’ Mosheh Oinounou contributed to this report.
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/05/24/weekend-barbecue-fuels-speculation-about-mccains-vp-choice/
