What did I tell you? Updated!
Last month, I predicted that McCain would select MN Governor Tim Pawlenty as his running mate, and explained why.
Breaking news as of 45 minutes ago:
Aug 28, 5:43 PM EDT
McCain makes decision on VP running mate
By LIZ SIDOTI
Associated Press WriterDENVER (AP) — Republican presidential candidate John McCain decided on a running mate early Thursday, and one top prospect, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, abruptly canceled numerous public appearances.
The Arizona senator will appear with his No. 2 at an Ohio rally on Friday, aides said, though they provided no details on who McCain had picked.
Without explanation, Pawlenty called off an Associated Press interview at the last minute, as well as other media interviews in Denver, site of the Democratic National Convention.
Rest of the story here.
I could be wrong yet. Stay tuned…
Update
Yep, I was wrong. You can officially ignore anything that comes out of my keyboard. It’s going to be Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Nope, I’d never heard of her either. Seems she was Mayor of a town of fewer than 8,000 people before surprisingly winning the Governorship two years ago. Since I’m sure most folk are as unfamiliar with her as I am, here is how she stands on the issues. (BTW, I recommend OnTheIssues.org as an excellent resource for checking the voting record of every politician.)
I’m not sure whether or how this selection hurts or helps McCain. I have my speculations, but I’ll have to reserve them until I learn more about this woman.
(*Temporarily abandoning my No Politics pledge, because I can’t resist.*)
The only way to be absolutely certain it’s Pawlenty is when the local printer starts putting out the McCain-BoringWhiteGuyNobody’sEverHeardOf signs.
*Then* you’ll know.
Comment by duffymoon — August 29, 2008 @ 7:56 am
You’re completely right. And it appears as though I probably was wrong after all. It’s looking more like those signs will read “McCain-BoringWhiteWomanNobody’sEverHeardOf”
Stay tuned…
Comment by olivander — August 29, 2008 @ 10:32 am
Makes sense, really. Obama paired up with Biden to give him someone experienced. McCain paried up with somone spry enough to resuscitate him if needed.
Ooh, sorry, was that out loud?
I mean “Hooray for the Geraldine Ferraro of 2008!”
Comment by mpclemens — August 29, 2008 @ 1:57 pm
I keep waiting to hear what you have to say about the recent convention antics, and Palin the Destroyer. Time to update!!
Comment by Strikethru — September 5, 2008 @ 1:08 am
To be honest, I don’t pay much attention to conventions, either party’s. They are the height of political theater, choreographed spectacles of deliberately over-the-top rhetoric and stagecraft. It’s to be expected, and for those four days apiece, I allow them to have their little carnivals unmolested.
You can’t really judge a candidate by their convention speeches, because they are all written for them by campaign staffers. They aren’t their own words. One of McCain’s advisers (Rick Davis, I think?) even admitted that the VP nomination acceptance speech they had prepared was for Joe Lieberman; they had to hastily re-write it for Cindy Palin. (That itself says something about how strongly McCain held out for Lieberman to be his running mate.)
One thing McCain said during his speech has me scratching my head, though: “We have to catch up to history.” Is that like going back to the future? What kind of magic car do you need to make that trip?
And can someone explain to me the context of having a photo of Walter Reed Middle School behind him during his speech? Besides the obvious speculation that someone on his staff was told to find photos of Walter Reed Medical Center and screwed it up.
Comment by olivander — September 5, 2008 @ 9:07 am