John McCain is a stubborn, ill tempered, angry man. And you are going to see that in his VP pick. Reportedly, yesterday Karl Rove went to Joe Lieberman to literally beg him to withdraw his name from VP consideration. Why would Karl do that, unless McCain has already chosen Lieberman as his pick?
Joe Lieberman refused to do so, which probably means he wants to be VP, and he knows McCain is going to ask him to do it.
Indeed, all this carping from the radical right about McCain’s possible selection of a pro choice running mate probably has only steeled McCain’s resolve to do it. It is not a rational decision. It is an irrational decision, for McCain has to know that Lieberman as his VP will destroy the Republican Party completely. But McCain likes to think of himself as his own man. He loves his “maverick” image, and was angry that he lost that brand (If you need convincing of that, read his intemperate and angry remarks during a recent TIME interview). So McCain probably thinks that picking Lieberman is his best option, for it will bring back the “maverick” image.
But this is where his irrationality comes in: McCain would only consider Lieberman as a potential running mate because Lieberman is so closely allied with Bush on Iraq. That is the only reason McCain and Lieberman have been so close this past year. That is the only reason they have traveled to Iraq. McCain likes Lieberman because Lieberman likes Bush. So how does that reinforce an “maverick” and “independent” image?
It doesn’t. It reinforces McCain and Bush’s closeness. It reinforces McCain as the continuation of Bush’s policies.