Political spotlight turns to VP choices

Now that the primaries are over and conventions are looming, political talk has turned to the speculation of who will be picked as running mates for the presidential candidates.

The speculation of whether Hillary Clinton will be Barack Obama’s running mate after their long and sometimes contentious battle for the nomination has ended, continues. Shortly after Obama claimed the nomination Tuesday, names of possible vice presidential picks surfaced, along with the news that Obama's campaign had retained former Fannie Mae CEO Jim Johnson to vet possible candidates, as he did for Sen. John Kerry four years earlier. Others on the committee include former Justice Department official Eric Holder and Caroline Kennedy.

If Clinton is not in the running, those in the know say Obama may look at governors such as Ohio's Ted Strickland or Arizona's Janet Napolitano, retired generals such as Wesley Clark, or national security-minded senators such as Evan Bayh of Indiana and Jim Webb of Virginia.

One of the names still apparently at the top of list of potential running mates for Republican presidential candidate John McCain is Florida Governor Charlie Crist. Crist, along with Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, visited with McCain at his Arizona home recently.

McCain’s advisors insist it was just a social visit and not to read anything further into it.

However, Crist’s name continues to be mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate. Especially since his well-timed endorsement of McCain likely helped him clinch victory in Florida’s January primary. Politically, he's not aligned tightly with President Bush (he opted out of a PR appearance with Bush during the 2006 gubernatorial race) and he has consistently shown himself to be a pro-life and pro-family conservative. His presence on the ballot would offer McCain a like-minded candidate who could also mend fences with conservatives.

McCain has said he had assembled a list of about 20 potential running mates. Observers said McCain's move indicated he was beginning to narrow the choices as the Democratic Convention in August gets closer.