Josh, McCain sees himself as a maverick, or to quote from Stripes, "Mr. Vegas."

So, he's going to go out of the box and I expect a controversial pick especially since all of the shortlisters have shortcomings. 

Pro Life: Lieberman and Ridge

Skimpy Resume: Pawlenty

Rich Elitist Phony: Romney

So I think he's going female, as he sees it as a way to cut into the persuadables disposed towards Hillary.  He can go Kay Bailey Hutchison or Meg Whitman.  Fiorina should be a no go since she ran HP into the ground.

I would make one further observation.  I would not be the least bit surprised if he made an impulse choice that resulted in an incomplete vetting.

One thing about McCain that's clearer and clearer is that he shares some of that Bush impulsiveness and other negative aspects of Bush's temprament. And picking someone way out of the box should not be so surprising.

Ed Rappaport