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Charlie As Veep? Yeah - That's The Ticket

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 25, 2008

So the buzz is that Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is visiting Sen. John McCain's ranch in Arizona this weekend for some sort of vice presidential tryout, which got us thinking about the image of Crist in those second-in-command shoes.

The guv's got a leg up on others who have actually held the job.

He's certainly friendlier than Dick Cheney, having never accidentally shot any of his friends.

He'd be great at funerals since he's a big hugger and has been known to lend a hanky.

He's smarter than Dan Quayle, presents better on television than Spiro Agnew ever did, and connects with ordinary people in ways that Richard Nixon couldn't imagine.

He's also fun at campaign events. The governor was once observed at a Donald Trump fundraiser shouting over a tray of hors d'oeuvres: "Donald, Donald! The beanie wienies are here. I love 'em. They're great!"

On second thought, you probably shouldn't do stuff like that at a state dinner.

Fun stuff aside, some are a little nervous about Crist being a heartbeat away from the presidency, especially given McCain's (ahem) advanced age.

For beyond his heartfelt desire to make Florida great, people are frustrated with the governor's lack of leadership in solving the state's problems with insurance, taxes and transportation.

No one knows exactly why presidential candidates pick the running mates they do. Some act purely on politics; others try to find the yin to their yang.

One thing's for sure: If McCain wants a running mate with an uncommon touch, he could do a lot worse than Charlie Crist.

But if he's looking for a leader with a history of solving problems, Crist has yet to prove his stuff.

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