Last week (prior to the Saddleback Civil Forum), McCain foolishly floated the idea that Tom Ridge, despite being pro-choice, might be acceptable. “You know, Tom Ridge is one of the great leaders and he happens to be pro-choice. And I don’t think that that would necessarily rule Tom Ridge out [for the vice presidency],” McCain said. Early this week, high-level rumors were that McCain is actively considering such a selection, possible Joe Lieberman or Tom Ridge.
The editors of the national review respond. I agree with them entirely. A pro-choice VP pick for McCain would be an absolute disaster. It would suggest he takes conservatives (whom he courted so effectively Saturday night at Saddleback) for granted. [FWIW, I actually mentioned my concern about this to high-ranking McCain surrogates on Saturday night. They assured me a pro-choice selection was “unlikely” and would “make things difficult for him,” but none assured me it would not happen.]
[HT: James Grant]