One of McCain’s veepstakes finalists reveals he ended up taking himself out of contention. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal is just 37, & is frequently mentioned as a way to bring diversity to the GOP ticket in 2012.
From the Fix:
“Jindal was approached by McCain forces to gauge his interest in the vice presidency and told them he was not interested in being vetted due to his desire to continue on with his current job, to which he was elected just one year ago.
While the official reason that Jindal took his name out of contention was his lack of a desire to leave the Louisiana governorship, there was also real trepidation within his political inner circle that Jindal might wind up as the pick — McCain was attracted to his comprehensive health-care knowledge — and be caught up in what they believed to be a less-than-stellar campaign that could pin a loss on Jindal without much ability to change or control the direction of the contest.”
Yes, this is hindsight, but that was ultimately a wise decision.
There’s already a push to make him the nominee, as this YouTube clip demonstrates:
What do you think?
Mike Murphy advised Senator McCain’s great 2000 primary campaign until his candidate met his Waterloo in South Carolina. He declined an invitation to be a part of McCain’s campaign this year, & that’s good for me, because I believe what he says & how he sees the race is from a perspective that has McCain’s best interests at heart. 
What do you think?
We’ll know within 24 hours. What do you think? Whom should McCain pick? Whom should he avoid at all costs? I’d love to hear what you have to say! Post a comment!
The star of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney seemed to be rising this summer in tandem with voters’ increasing anxiety about the economy.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s strength is youth and executive experience. On television talk shows, he’s also shown a willingness to level attacks against Obama, although they are largely a reiteration of campaign talking points.
Former Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge could be a better match to Biden’s national security credentials. Ridge’s service in the Bush administration after the Sept. 11 attacks provided a crash course on terrorism and national security issues.
That approach tends to enhance the credentials of Connecticut Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, a recently turned independent who has an easy rapport with McCain and who has already run for vice president as a Democrat.
p.s. though not mentioned in the article above, remember that I’ve said that Mike Huckabee remains a major dark horse at the moment. Why? The choice of Biden is a signal that Obama will try to rally his base, rather than reach across the aisle. If “them’s the rules,” then Huckabee (who, you’ll remember, won Tennessee) remains the obvious choice.
I would say the chances of McCain announcing his veep pick on Thursday are just slightly better than the chances of me winning the lottery - & you should know that I never play the lottery. It makes far more tactical sense to do it Friday. 
