McCain Won't Pick His VP Before Obama

This was my recommendation awhile back. McCain will hold off on naming a VP until after the Democrat convention:

John McCain's extended circle is divided on whether he should announce his running mate in the immediate days ahead—but the Republican is more likely to wait for Barack Obama to announce his choice first, according to advisers.

While McCain’s aides are tight-lipped about revealing anything related to what has so far been a leak-free process, some of his advisers state a clear preference for not firing the valuable political bullet too soon.

By waiting to make a major announcement in the window after Obama’s much-anticipated acceptance speech August 28 at Invesco Field and before he receives his party’s nomination the following week, for example, McCain would be able to quickly shift the focus of the race following the Democratic convention.

Further, these advisers say, by waiting until the end of the month he could also gauge his pick based both on who Obama selects and what the contours of the race appear to be just two months out from Election Day.

“We’d be stupid to pick before they do,” said one top McCain adviser, speaking about the hush-hush decision on the basis of anonymity. “If they go first, you have more information.”

This source said McCain should take advantage of the “the luxury of having the option,” owing to the Republicans’ later convention date.

And, said the adviser, the campaign ought to resist the temptation of making what would amount to a fleeting summer news splash.

“We don’t need a good couple of days—we need a good 60 days.”

Smart move. This gives McCain the opportunity to vet several candidates and then choose the one that best offsets any gains Obama might get from his choice.