John McCain and the Veep Question

I'm skeptical about polls, especially in absolute terms, although they often show which way the wind is blowing. Someone named Frank Newport at Gallup.com is claiming that Huckabee has the support of as many as 1/4 of Republicans nationally:

Gallup Daily: Tracking Election 2008
Based on daily polling conducted Feb. 8-10, 2008

[...] We will know more after the results of Tuesday's voting have filtered down to Republicans nationally, but several things are clear at this point from the Gallup Poll Daily tracking of Republicans' preferences. McCain is holding on to the support of more than half of Republicans nationally and maintains a lead of more than 30 percentage points above his nearest competitor. But, despite widespread discussion of McCain's status as the presumptive GOP nominee this year, the rise in support for him after Mitt Romney dropped out on Feb. 7 has essentially stalled -- at least for the moment. Despite Huckabee's slim mathematical chances of receiving enough delegates to win the Republican nomination, he has been able to hold on to the support of about a quarter of Republicans nationally. -- Frank Newport

I'd like to know exactly where he got that figure from, before I'd believe it. I admit I don't WANT to believe it. If Huckabee were chosen as veep, I think it would further alienate much of the conservative base who are already balking at McCain. Yet if they continue to balk, he may have to consider other options... might Huckabee be one of them? Lets hope not.

The Veep question is one that's on a lot of people's minds. Lisa Schiffren at NRO has a look at some of the possibilities available for John McCain, and weighs their strengths and weaknesses:

McCain’s Veep
The right No. 2 could help John McCain.

Because he is not the first choice of the conservative base, and enthusiasm for his candidacy is, to say the least, weak, presumptive GOP nominee John McCain should use the occasion of choosing his running mate to show us he cares. Instead of the verbal bouquets he’s begun tossing, the ideal Valentine should be something more solid — like picking a real conservative to round out his ticket. In the interests of balance, his running mate should not only be a staunch conservative: he or she should be younger; be more ideas-driven; boast an executive record; and — ideally — have the capacity to carry a major swing state or region. This year, race and gender could also be factors to consider.

What’s good for the GOP ticket today is good for America tomorrow. A running mate who performs well either becomes vice president — a job in which he or she may influence the administration considerably — or, if the ticket loses, becomes the presumptive candidate in 2012. [...]

She asked readers of NRO's The Corner to make suggestions, and it's those suggestions that she examines. There were too many interesting men and women to list them all here - I suggest following the link to have a look.