John McCain will be the 'decider' of who gets the second slot

For those wondering whether an eminence grise such as Warren Christopher or Dick Cheney will soon head John McCain's vice presidential selection committee, the answer is yes and no, depending upon whether you think of McCain as a wise old Washington hand.

"He's the chairman of the selection committee," said Charlie Black, referring to the candidate himself, during a lunch with reporters hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. Black said no timetables have been set and the staff is uninvolved. "He is thinking about names," Black said. "He's not talking to any of us about that."

McCain has referred to this as being in the "embryonic stage." Said Black: "He'll talk to a great variety of people, as he does on all issues and matters of importance."

Yet Black acknowledged that the choice of a running mate is fraught with meaning for a 71-year-old candidate looking to reassure voters that they will be in good hands if anything should happen to him. "Every nominee wants to make the best possible selection," he said, adding that they all "want to make sure they were picking somebody who could succeed and handle the job."

McCain is no different in wanting to pick the best person.

"There's always a lot of focus on it,'' Black said. "It's the first big decision a nominee makes.''

And remember, George Bush left that committee in the hands of Cheney, who after an exhaustive search, decided he would be Bush's best choice for a running mate.

-- Jill Zuckman

Jill Zuckman writes for the Swamp of the Chicago Tribune's Washington bureau.
AP Photo by Mary Altaffer.

Comments

[dave]

except he's not even the nominee, and all about presumption. and does not qualify. so whatever grisly menaces they put on his alleged long list of potentially presumptive vice- presumptive nominees, for the time being it might seem all fantastique and fabuleux to some, but doesn't make a difference.

[rightwingprof]

"except he's not even the nominee"

Yes, he is.

[dave]

fantasmagorique... but it won't change the facts: mccain gets to decide who's who, and what's what, in lala land; and you're of course as free as him to deny reality; perhaps he really missed some major shifts and political developments, and did not notice or keep track of, the rapidly maturing public awareness and overwhelming rejection of his staged clowneries, along with all the general media censorship and bias; but more probably even he knows he doesn't stand the remotest chance to dupe the people as the next neocon agent of destruction... his assignment is to strut and swagger, and stage and air his warlord fantasies, for lack of therapy for his deeply troubled, traumatized conscience; and to help detract attention from the real (and only constitutional) finalist RON PAUL. so someone else, perhaps obama, might find his way into the white house, to serve as the next obliging puppet to the interests of his 'superiors.' not gonna happen this time though.