Veepstakes Mania!

Well, the dust has barely settled from the fight for the Democratic Nomination and people are going crazy with VP speculation. So much so that Obama told everyone just to 'settle down' about it. I couldn't agree more... I won't re-hash the usual choices- peruse this iReport thing at your leisure, but I wanted to weigh on the possibility of a McCain-Pawlenty ticket in the fall. (Tim Pawlenty being of course, the governor of our fair state of Minnesota.)

To be fair, I see the logic behind it:
1. McCain needs someone young.

2. He needs a strategic move to put a state in play. (Minnesota has 10 electoral votes and has shown signs of flirting Republican in recent elections.)

3. Pawlenty is unknown, without a lot of baggage nationally and has executive experience and a record of bi-partisanship.

But, to be frank, I just don't see it:
1. Minnesota has voted Democratic since 1972. Tim Pawlenty maybe everything McCain needs and more, but flipping Minnesota? Not likely. He might put it in play... for like a minute.

2. He's not as popular (or as bi-partisan) as people think. He got re-elected in 2006 by the skin of his teeth and in the wake of the bridge collapse his popularity took a dip since he insisted on standing by Lt. Governor Carol Molnau (who was also MNDOT Commissioner at the time) and accused DFLers of 'politicizing the tragedy.' That might be true, but someone had to go for the bridge collapse. Something at MNDOT wasn't working right and Molnau still gets to be Lt. Governor. Pick a better hill to die on, Governor.

3. (And this is my strongest reason) He was chair of McCain's exploratory committee, was with McCain the whole way throughout the campaign and couldn't even deliver Minnesota for McCain in the primary. (Romeny won by a wide margin) What makes people think he can do it in the general?

Yes, yes, I know that the Republicans are having their convention in St. Paul in the fall and I know they're targeting Minnesota for a possible flip in the general, but at least a couple of Republican Congressmen went down hard in the Midterms in 2006 and Amy Klobuchar mopped the floor with Mark Kennedy to get to the Senate, so I think there might have been a moment where the state was looking Red, but I have to wonder if that moment might have already passed. Pawlenty would be a logical choice, to be sure, but I'm not sure it'd be one that would get McCain anything.