John McCain seems to have gotten the impression (that he himself planted) that people like someone who will follow their own integrity, no matter the cost to himself or his political well-being. It's all very noble, but doesn't G. W. Bush kinda disprove this theory?
People liked John McCain because he was moderate. Many still think he is, and on some issues he kinda is. But the whole John Wayne theory of leadership doesn't seem to be in vogue. People like leaders that, you know, listen to them and agree with them. Fighting like hell for the people, instead of for some abstract principle, is what Americans value. John McCain seems to have learned all the wrong lessons from Bush and seems perfectly willing to self-immolate for some of his principles. This is probably why Republicans are reportedly so worried about him.
So, I wonder if he would be more likely to pick someone like Mitt Romney as VP if he thought Romney would be best qualified. Romney would be an election-killer, since just about everyone hates him. I wonder if that couldn't be one of John McCain's "transcendent challenges" that Matt Welch talks about. Okay, this is wishful thinking, I suppose. I don't really know what to expect from John McCain with respect to a running mate. Tommy Franks, perhaps? Joe Lieberman also seems plausible to me. The war is McCain's bag, picking someone who's ultrahawkish seems a given.
With Obama, I think he really needs to pick someone established. I like Jim Webb a lot, and it's a pick that makes a whole ton of sense, but Obama's still a pretty new figure on the stage, and having an old hand on board would be reassuring to some folks. Biden makes sense to me from this angle.
