Motortrend Forum

DENVER - John McCain kept his vice presidential pick a closely guarded secret mere hours before the high-stakes announcement Friday and speculation moved to darkhorse candidate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as other, more prominent prospects dropped away.

Two GOP strategists close to the McCain campaign said all indications pointed to Palin, a self-styled "hockey mom" and political reformer. The strategists spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized by the McCain camp to discuss the matter. There was no confirmation from McCain or his advisers.

With an announcement scheduled in Dayton, Ohio, an associate of Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said the governor had been informed he is not McCain's pick.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak for Pawlenty, who had all but ruled himself out.

"I'm not going to be there. I plan to be at the state fair. You can draw your conclusion from that," Pawlenty said on his weekly call-in radio show on WCCO-AM in Minneapolis. He also called it "a fair assumption" that he will not be McCain's running mate.

Associates close to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney were saying the same thing, telling The Associated Press that the former presidential candidate had not been offered the job by McCain.

Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., who has been an energetic supporter of McCain for months, was also eliminated from contention, according to a Republican official.

Palin is a first-term governor credited with reforms of her out-of-the-way state. Newly minted Democratic nominee Barack Obama is making an aggressive play for the traditional GOP stronghold and its three electoral votes, and polls show the race close.

At 44, Palin is younger than Obama and, like McCain, she calls herself a maverick.

A Gulfstream IV from Anchorage, Alaska, flew into Middletown Regional Airport in Butler County near Cincinnati about 10:15 p.m. Thursday, said Rich Bevis, airport manager. He said several people came off the plane, including a woman and two teens, but there was no confirmation of who was aboard.

"They were pretty much hustled off. They came right down the ramp, jumped in some vans here and off they went," Bevis said. "It was all hush, hush."

Among the other possible running mates: former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, Democrat-turned-independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and former Rep. Rob Portman of Ohio.

The Arizona senator decided on his choice for vice president early Thursday, but the campaign has given no hint on the selection that will be announced on his 72nd birthday. The speculation sent a buzz throughout Denver, where Obama accepted his party's nomination and put Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware on his ticket.

Jill Hazelbaker, McCain's communications director, gave nothing away during an interview on CBS' "The Early Show."

"John McCain is going to make the choice from his heart. He's going to choose someone who can be a partner in governing. He's going to choose someone who brings character and principle to the table and who shares his priorities. And I'm confident that he's going to make a great pick," Hazelbaker said.

Republicans kick off their national nominating convention next week in St. Paul, Minn., and McCain's campaign hopes the announcement of his running mate will stunt any momentum Obama might get from the just-concluded Democratic National Convention.

McCain was mum on the subject Thursday as he and his wife, Cindy, boarded a plane in Phoenix bound for Dayton.http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080829/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_mccain_veepstakes  
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"Vanity of vanities", says Koheleth. "All is vanity".

I lost interest in this election a long time ago. It seems like none of the candidates are up to snuff and it seems like we're screwed no matter who wins. The president's status has been lowered currently cause people are starting to really voice their opinions. They feel like they're equal with the president and as a result, people who aren't necessarily bad but not up to the challenge are running. Just my view of it though. I'm sure others have differing things to say.  
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One shall stand, one shall fall

At 44, she is a generation younger that Sen. "Joseph Biden of Delaware, who is Barack Obama's running mate on the Democratic ticket.

She is three years Obama's junior, as well — and McCain has made much in recent weeks of Obama's relative lack of experience in foreign policy and defense matters."

LOL!  
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HOPE WON

OVER 80% of Honda vehicles sold in the United States are MADE IN THE UNITED STATES - http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2002/11/07/150177.html

Aaron M:
At 44, she is a generation younger that Sen. "Joseph Biden of Delaware, who is Barack Obama's running mate on the Democratic ticket.

She is three years Obama's junior, as well — and McCain has made much in recent weeks of Obama's relative lack of experience in foreign policy and defense matters."

LOL!

I don't really understand your post    
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"Vanity of vanities", says Koheleth. "All is vanity".

This is masterful strategy. I'm not a huge supporter of McCain in the past - but this is exactly what I would have done.

I wonder how many Hillary voters the moderate McCain and his female running mate will bring in?

Joe Biden = No Change

Sara Palin = Big change  
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Proud to be a global warming heretic

I love my carbon footprint

as_long_as_it_runs:
This is masterful strategy. I'm not a huge supporter of McCain in the past - but this is exactly what I would have done.

I wonder how many Hillary voters the moderate McCain and his female running mate will bring in?

Joe Biden = No Change

Sara Palin = Big change

I think with this move McCain will get all the frustrated Hillary supporters. You are naive if you think the Democrats have party unity, those Hillary supporters are mad.  
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"Vanity of vanities", says Koheleth. "All is vanity".

And she has executive experience. She runs a whole state. In fact the biggest state in our Republic

Obama has.. well... he's a head of a household... or maybe not

 
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Proud to be a global warming heretic

I love my carbon footprint

MMMM HE PICKED A WOMAN. I guess those Clinton fans have somewhere to go.  
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WHY CAN'T PEOPLE JUST LIKE WHATEVER CAR THEY LIKE, AND NOT BE HATED FOR IT???

as_long_as_it_runs:
And she has executive experience. She runs a whole state. Obama has.. well... he's a head of a household, or maybe not

:-D

LOL, We all know Michelle runs everything behind the scenes.  
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"Vanity of vanities", says Koheleth. "All is vanity".

Aaron M:
At 44, she is a generation younger that Sen. "Joseph Biden of Delaware, who is Barack Obama's running mate on the Democratic ticket.

She is three years Obama's junior, as well — and McCain has made much in recent weeks of Obama's relative lack of experience in foreign policy and defense matters."

LOL!

CarAuthority:
I don't really understand your post  

Simply put, "How can you bring in someone who has only been in office for 2 years and no foreign policy experience, but critisize someone who at least has limited experience with a running mate who can run circles around the best of them on these issues?"  Secondly, with a rash decision of thinking just because she's a woman she will pull Hilary voters?  Hilary has the experience and has demonstrated she knows how to get things done, Sarah Palin is an unknown.  People need to stop thinking that women are so set on seeing a woman in power that anyone will do, this is not the 19th century.  
If car companies are listening, I am full of free advice.

Interesting they chose Dayton itself for the annoucement.  Montgomery County (where Dayton is)is heavily democratic.  Every county around it is heavily republican, including mine.  Montgomery is also one of only three counties of Ohio's 89 that Obama took from Hillary.

Montgomery is also one of the most mismanaged counties in Ohio, probably only losing to something around Cleveland.  
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"Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of the car and oversteer is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car. Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall, torque is how far you take the wall with you."

Good thing she's not currently under any investigations or anything..  
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"What about that swagger of yours?"
W: "In Texas we call that walkin!"

AVEO


Palin-Shovel '08!

so alaskas governour is his choise or is she just the most likely?  
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I'm Pro Smashing

Aaron M:
At 44, she is a generation younger that Sen. "Joseph Biden of Delaware, who is Barack Obama's running mate on the Democratic ticket.

She is three years Obama's junior, as well — and McCain has made much in recent weeks of Obama's relative lack of experience in foreign policy and defense matters."

LOL!

CarAuthority:
I don't really understand your post  

archknight:
Simply put, "How can you bring in someone who has only been in office for 2 years and no foreign policy experience, but critisize someone who at least has limited experience with a running mate who can run circles around the best of them on these issues?"  Secondly, with a rash decision of thinking just because she's a woman she will pull Hilary voters?  Hilary has the experience and has demonstrated she knows how to get things done, Sarah Palin is an unknown.  People need to stop thinking that women are so set on seeing a woman in power that anyone will do, this is not the 19th century.

That is a well written, uneducated post.  
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"Vanity of vanities", says Koheleth. "All is vanity".

JSPOOK_SS:
Good thing she's not currently under any investigations or anything..

You mean like Obama? I heard they just released a lot of documents on his relationship with Bill Ayers...  
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"Vanity of vanities", says Koheleth. "All is vanity".