No Shortage of McCain VP Speculation

With the Republican nomination decided, McCain has presumably had some time now to consider his running mate. He seems to be taking his time, and it's no wonder; there are plenty of prominent Republicans who might be considered, and none are without drawbacks.

Mitt Romney is drawing the most attention these days, and in many ways he would be a good strategic candidate. But not unlike McCain, Romney has taken heat from the conservative base, mostly over his pre-campaign support of abortion rights. Condoleezza Rice is another name commonly dropped in VP speculations, despite her own assertions that she'll be heading back to Stanford classrooms, not the White House. But Dave Senor, a Republican strategist, recently told ABC that Rice is not only interested, but is actively seeking the position.

Giuliani's name still comes up, here and there, but a pairing of the two Republicans that conservatives are most suspicious of seems unlikely. Joe Lieberman also falls in this category. Despite his close relationship with McCain and his distancing from the Democratic party, he's still too liberal for mainline Republican voters.

Florida governor Charlie Crist is also believed to be on the short list. Although Crist's approval rating has slipped recently, he's still in decent shape at 59 percent. Florida will likely be a key state, and Governor Crist's record on race issues and environmental controls might give him crossover appeal.

Conservative Minnesota Tim Pawlenty is another possible choice with the potential of softening McCain's moderate stigma with Republican voters. Rob Portman, Bush's old finance director, has conservative credentials and is a Republican up-and-comer in Ohio. Some pundits consider Portman a strong choice, but he also has deep ties to the Bush Administration.

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford is also mentioned as a VP choice that could bring unsure conservative voters to McCain, but some speculate that his refusal to get behind McCain early in the race could lead to the Republican nominee passing him up.

Still, no one is really sure of who is or isn't on McCain's list. With the race uncomfortably close, who McCain chooses for VP could have a big impact, one way or another, in November.