McCain flirting with pro-choice Veep

Republican presumptive presidential nominee John McCain is floating the idea that he may pick a pro-choice Republican or even a Democrat as his running mate in his bid for the White House. Either choice would be the final slap in the face to the party’s conservative wing, and might well trigger a conservative revolt within the GOP, including a possible challenge on the convention floor. Such a move would be like weight loss pills in a voter and support sense of the word.

In spite of conventional wisdom, this is a very winnable year for the GOP, if they focus on energy policy and its linchpin role in affecting the economy. Not only could the party retain the White House, but if energy policy and the economy are the top focal issues, with foreign policy a strong third issue, the GOP could not only stave off predicted seat losses in the House and Senate, but potentially even post gains in both houses.

The key, however, is whether the party has learned that its losses of two years ago were caused by abandoning the GOP’s conservative core values, not by being too conservative.

Time will tell the tale on this one.