VP

If John McCain announces his choice for Vice President at a rally in Dayton on Friday, he'll need thousands of signs with the name of his new running mate. And there's a good chance the campaign will use a local printer to produce the signs. So PolitickerOH.com put together a short list: printers close to the Dayton area with the capacity to print McCain's signs in time for the big event tomorrow.

Former U.S. Rep. Rob Portman, reportedly under consideration to be John McCain’s running mate, is not among the list of speakers scheduled to address the Republican National Convention, released by the GOP last night.  Does that mean Portman might be added later, perhaps in the slot where the Vice Presidential candidate speaks?

GOP presidential candidate John McCain campaigns in New Jersey last February with Sen. Joe Lieberman: Getty Images Photo
Two pro-choice names floated as potential vice-president picks for presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain have caused a lot of grumbling among conservatives nationwide, but some of the most ardently pro-life members of the delegation representing New Jersey at next month's Republican National Convention were circumspect on the prospects.

While McCain has pledged to run a "pro-life administration" if elected, his campaign has floated trial balloons about U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and former Pennsylvania Governor and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Thomas Ridge as possible Veep picks, both of whom are pro-choice.

While some pro-life delegation members would prefer to see a fully anti-abortion ticket, none were committed to casting a protest vote against a pro-choice McCain pick.  Still, some of them cautiously suggested that McCain would be wise not to alienate the socially conservative wing of the party, including the evangelical voters who he's had trouble courting in the past.

"I don't from a tactical standpoint see the gain other than maybe he's trying to reach moderate Democrat voters and take them from Barack by putting Lieberman there," said Assemblywoman Allison Littell McHose (R-Franklin), a delegate who sits on the convention's platform committee.    "But I think when you have a Republican base that would probably not traditionally vote for a guy like Lieberman, I don't know why McCain would need to do that."

To view more cartoons by Politicker.com editorial cartoonist Rob Tornoe, click here.

PARAMUS - House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) seems to like the idea of former U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley (D-Montclair) as Barack Obama's running mate - in a very non-committal sort of way.

"I think Bill Bradley was an outstanding member of the U.S. Senate, I think he's a very decent, value-centered individual. Obviously a very distinguished scholar in his own right," said Hoyer during a campaign appearance for 5th district congressional candidate Dennis Shulman.  "There's no doubt he could be president and many supported him fro president when he ran, so I think that would be a choice the American public would certainly respond favorably to."

One sign that rumors of Bill Bradley’s name on a list of potential vice presidential candidates could be accurate: one of Barack Obama’s top advisors is Anita Dunn, who was Bradley’s Senate Chief of Staff and later as chief strategist for Bradley’s 2000 presidential campaign.  Dunn believes in the value of the Bradley brand, and her seat at the Obama table is likely to get the former three-term Senator from New Jersey at least some consideration.

Some Republicans seem convinced that Rob Portman will be a candidate for one of two offices in 2008: Vice President of the United States and Attorney General of Ohio.  In reality, the former congressman, OMB Director and U.S. Trade Representative probably won’t run for anything this year.  GOP insiders acknowledge that while his name is on the short list for A.G. candidates, he’s more likely to wait two more years and run for Governor.  And while John McCain’s campaign is unofficially floating Portman as a VP candidate, there aren’t many Republicans who think it will actually happen.

If Barack Obama wants an outside-the-box candidate for Vice President who can help him win Ohio, how about Dick Celeste?

The former two-term Governor is 70-years-old, two years younger than John McCain.  He’s a Rhodes Scholar, served as Ambassador to India and as Director of the Peace Corps, and was on the 9-11 Commission.  Since 2002, he’s been living in another potential swing state, as the President of Colorado College.  He’s got a bit of the mature gravitas Obama might be looking for in a running mate.

Gov. Ted Strickland is not qualified to be the Vice President of the United States, according to U.S. News and World Report’s Michael Barone, whose column today is a must-read for Ohio politicos.

Democrat Barack Obama has a 50%-36% lead over Republican John McCain in New York State, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released early this morning.  By a 48%-42% margin, New York voters say Obama should not pick Hillary Clinton as his running mate, although Democrat support it, 53%-35%.