Supposedly, these three were the top picks? We doubt it.

Allah decided to run with this despite the names to the contrary. Take it with a grain of salt as it comes from Joe Klein who admits this amounts to nothing more than gossip, but the veep choices seem to be the talk of the town today, which is slow to begin with:

I have no way of knowing if this is true, though the source is excellent...but the word in Republican circles is that John McCain is quite frustrated by the vice presidential selection process because he can't go with any of his top three choices. They are:

1. Former Governor Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania--McCain loves the guy, I'm told, and Ridge might bring Pa. into the Republican fold...but he's pro-choice. Fuggedaboutit.

2. Former Governor Jeb Bush of Florida--Ahhh, Florida. But, oy, that last name.

3. Senator Mel Martinez of Florida---Ahh, Florida....and brings Latinos, too! But born in Cuba, so ineligible for the office.

Tom Ridge is a definite no-no, given his pro-choice stance even though his term as DHS chief would help the ticket. McCain is running for Commander-in-Chief, and a little extra in the intelligence realm wouldn't help. He could've also helped with Pennsylvania.

Jeb Bush? Forget it. The nation is sick of having a Bush run things. Besides, if Florida is in question, what's wrong with Crist?

Mel Martinez? He is ineligible, and he was a strong proponent of the amnesty deal which was nearly rammed down our throats last year.

The reason we believe this is nothing more than gossip is the fact that the names we keep hearing are far better, and far more qualified. For those not keeping score at home, we keep hearing the following names:

Mitt Romney
Joe Lieberman
Bobby Jindal
Sarah Palin
Carly Fiorina
Kay Bailey Hutchinson
Lindsey Graham
Trent Lott
Michael Steele
Tim Pawlenty

Now that's a heck of a lineup. Granted, we mark off Jindal (not enough executive experience), Graham (involved with amnesty), Lott (disgraced Senate Majority Leader-turned-lobbyist), Hutchinson (pro-choice, and pro-embryonic stem cell research), and Lieberman (watch the party revolt at the convention if the former Democrat is named).

That leaves Romney, Palin, Steele, Pawlenty, and Fiorina. Anyone of these five would be fine (except maybe Fiorina, thanks to McCain railing on about "obscene profits"), and any one of them would compliment a McCain ticket. The other four bring executive experience and youth to the ticket. The question remains as to what else would they bring? Romney and Pawlenty may end up bringing their states with them (Massachusetts and Minnesota, respectively), but that's about all we see.

Truth be told, the veep talk doesn't really help either side right now. With five to six months left to go for the conventions, unveiling a vice presidential nominee now might provide the other side with fodder if they're not vetted properly. So the speculation is nothing more than passing-time gossip. It's fun to guess, but in the end most of us will probably be wrong.

Publius II