McCain

When Kerry selected Edwards as his running mate, I heard a Republican campaign operative yammer about how Kerry had really wanted to pick John McCain. The guy even claimed Kerry had invited McCain to be his running mate three times (as if he could know). Similar rumors have been printed in various editorials. Granted, McCain was posed the question by the media, but I have yet to see any credible evidence that Kerry actually would have considered him as a running mate. (Got any?)

More recently, I have heard various Republican armchair advocates suggesting that Bush should dump Cheney - using health as an excuse - and pick a different running mate. They seem to get most excited over the idea of McCain running for Bush. As if that could ever happen. This is John McCain, the "paleoconservative", who still believes in such archaic values as small government, responsible spending, and personal liberties. On Bush's beloved anti-gay marriage amendment:

... Arizona Sen. John McCain put it, that to strip states of their traditional jurisdiction over marriage "strikes me as antithetical in every way to the core philosophy of Republicans."

Even if it would not be embarrassing for Bush to dump Cheney, and even if such a move would diminish (rather than magnifying) the various scandals and administration failures in which Cheney has taken a leading role (and I think it would do the opposite), Bush would never pick McCain.

His "values" are all wrong.