Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell both say they have no interest in being a candidate for vice president, reports the Associated Press because, apparently, someone at the AP thought it was important news.
Well, uh, okay. I didn't know they were on the short lists. Perry, a Republican, isn't a likely short-lister for the GOP veep slot anyway - Texas is a reliably "red" state in presidential elections so whoever the GOP nominates won't really need a Texan on the ticket to help land the Lone Star State's haul of electoral votes. And Pennsylvania is so reliably "blue" that the eventual Democratic Party nominee likely won't need Rendell to help bring in its sizeable trove of electoral votes
As the race currently stands in the polls, the nominees would be Rudy Giuliani for the GOP and Hillary Clinton for the Democrats. Giuliani would either balance himself ideologically or geographically. If he chose to balance himself ideologically, he would pick not a moderate to appeal to voters in the center and just across the center among the conservative Democrats because he's that guy. No, he'd pick someone like Newt Gingrich, if not Gingrich himself, a conservative's conservative, to excite the GOP's conservative base for the general election.
The way Bob Dole picked Jack Kemp, a master stroke in a doomed-from-the-start campaign.
As for Hillary Clinton, I'm guessing she picks Sen. Barack Obama or New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.
Giuliani/Gingrich vs Clinton/Obama
or
Giuliani/Gingrich vs. Clinton/Richardson
Whatever you think about any of them, either of those would be one heck of a thrilling contest.
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