But please, let's get back to discussing what a terrible VP candidate Tim Kaine would be. Meanwhile, McCain is considering Jack Abramoff's BFF.
AP:
John McCain's campaign has asked Virginia Rep. Eric Cantor for personal documents as the Republican presidential candidate steps up his search for a running mate, The Associated Press has learned.Cantor, 45, the chief deputy minority whip in the House, has been mentioned among several Republicans as a possible running mate for McCain. A Republican familiar with the conversations between Cantor and the McCain campaign said Cantor has been asked to turn over documents, but did not know specifically what records were sought.
The individual spoke on the condition of anonymity because neither the McCain campaign nor Cantor's office wishes to discuss the running mate selection process.
That both McCain and Obama are considering Virginians as running mates underscores the importance of a conservative southern state in the back yard of Washington where Democrats have found success since 2001.
Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, check out this profile of Tim Kaine by Christina Bellantoni in the Sunday Washington Times...
BTW I am not at all surprised he is being considered - his being Jewish probably carries a certain amount of weight
MORE VEEPSTAKES: Rep. Eric I. Cantor (R-Va.), 45, has turned over vetting documents to McCain's search team, as first reported by at suppertime last night by AP Richmond's be-hatted Bob Lewis. Cantor is young, Southern and Jewish, with a photogenic family, a huge national fund-raising network and a proven appeal to independents as well as the conservative base. He could help keep the Commonwealth red, and would be a strong campaigner in Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio.With a continuing frenzy around Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine as a potential Obama running mate, could this mean an all-Old Dominion V.P. debate? (Oct. 2, Washington University in St. Louis)
Politico's Jonathan Martin: 'Is the Mother of Presidents preggers with twin veeps?'
The WashTimes profiles Gov. Kaine, noting that he plays the harmonica, finished the University of Missouri in three years, and has a 'wandering eyebrow' that 'inspired good-natured mocking' following his nationally televised response to the 2006 State of the Union.
peace
That sentence made me cringe. On principle, mostly
But the politics of choosing one of the few prominent Jewish Republicans (the only Jewish GOP member of the House, BTW) is interesting. Ever since I first saw his name floated several months ago, I thought picking him would a sign that McCain feels the need to politically sew up Florida, and that he sees the Jewish vote in South Florida as a way to do that.
On the other hand, to anyone who understands these voters, they would know that a guy like Cantor will not help really with this demographic, except in the basest sense of identity politics where you think Jews would vote for him just because he is Jewish. Some would, I guess. More, I would guess, would look at him and see their kid.
My dad, who lives in Broward, loves me, but he wouldn't trust me to be dog catcher, much less president.
And then you look at Cantor's political liabilities, and I just can't see the pick for McCain. On the most basic level, how to you attack Obama as too inexperienced for the presidency, and then run a guy will less experience in the VP slot who has less experience than Obama, without even an example of good judgment in his career to counter-weight that? It would undercut that entire side of McCain's campaign.
And don't even get me started on the fact that Cantor is a proven liar.
See here: