Pro-Life VP or Bust

Cross-posted at SC Conservative

There has been a ton of speculation that John McCain may be considering a pro-abortion Vice Presidential nominee (bringing responses and pontifications at Politico, Hot Air, Rush, just to name a few).

I'm with the Hot Air folks on this one. A pro-abortion nominee like Lieberman (or Guiliani, or Ridge) would be an unmitigated disaster for McCain, perhaps the one last way he could derail his own campaign and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. As a strategy, it would lead to the wholesale departure of the Republican base, (more than making up for any gains he would make with independents) and the resulting low-base turnout could lead to a filibuster-proof majority in the US Senate - for the Democrats.

With those specters looming, do not expect the delegates at the Convention to go quietly on this point. I've been talking to some of my fellow delegates and alternates from around the state and around the country, and they do indeed have the stomach to fight their own nominee on this one. Remember: the delegates hold the power at the convention - and we can nominate someone of our own choosing to go up against a pro-abortion VP nominee. Alert pro-life Republican delegates are already organizing for a possible convention uprising if the need arises. Speculation centers around the same list of pro-life Governors that McCain has been said to be considering - Palin, Jindal, Romney, Pawlenty, and yes, Mark Sanford.

Hopefully, Senator McCain won't make the pro-abortion VP mistake, and will instead choose a running mate who can secure his base while he tacks to the middle in the general election campaign (which he does without really trying, frankly). With a 5 point lead (according to Zogby this morning), Senator McCain would be wise to secure his base and consolidate the lead with less than 3 months to go.

Random thoughts on this that and the other...

Now that the Olympics are well under way (and consuming my television viewing habits for the nexxt two weeks - I'm a total Olympic junkie...), I thought I'd post a few thoughts...

***

Do you remember the long-held "Olympic Truce"? The idea was that nations competing in the Olympic Games would stop fighting long enough to enjoy the sporting events, and maybe even sit down long enough to work out their differences. (Hey, we were dealing with civilised nations at the time - Islamist countries need not apply...)

Well, it seems someone needed to remind President Vladimir Putin of that one. Putin's aggression against the former Soviet state of Georgia was possibly the most ill-timed invasion of all time - the tanks rolled over the border just as the Opening ceremonies were getting underway. Definitely the PR blunder of the year - Moscow rolls tanks as Beijing highlights new Century with best artistic opening ceremonies ever.

Oh - and kudos to President Bush for pulling Putin aside at those ceremonies to voice his displeasure. Bush has had one of the better weeks of his Presidency with these ceremonies - a deft diplomatic touch previously unseen, massaging the Chinese while speaking out against them openly. Definitely one of the highlights of his Presidency, when it's all said and done.

***

On the domestic front, what's this we hear about John McCain considering Joe Lieberman for his Veep nominee? How many Republicans with older vehicles would be scrambling to scrape "Sore Loserman" bumper stickers off from the Florida debacle?

Seriously - this is the single biggest mistake McCain could make right now. He has ALL of the momentum at present - Obama has botched his own Veep pick by failing to make it before the Olympics dominated the news cycle (whomever Obama picks cannot compete with Michael Phelps). McCain is his own best asset and ally to reach out to the middle, but his VP choice needs to shore up the base. If he sticks with the Palin/Pawlenty/Jindal/Sanford/Romney/Huckabee list, he's safe (and I'm still rooting for Palin...). But if he picks someone not provably pro-life, or worse, provably pro-choice (Lieberman or Ridge), he alienates the base entirely.

Hopefully, he'll do the smart thing and allow his VP choice to tack right while he remains in the middle.

***

Did anyone else stay up last night to watch that Olympic swimming relay (pic above)? Absolutely fabulous stuff. Favorite moments (other than when Lezak touched out the French at the wall, or the sheet brute force of the celebration pictured above): when in the interview segment, one of the swimmers referred to their loudmouthed, trash talking competitors as "those Frenchies." Awesome.

***

Anyone who has watched the last two golf majors (the PGA and the Open Championship) will be hard pressed to believe in global warming. That hoax must surely be winding down now...

***

Lastly, RIP to Shaft and Bernie Mac, both of whom passed away over the weekend. Two entertainers who will surely be missed...