For Veep's Sake

The media crush left Elkhart empty-handed this a.m. No, Obama didn't name Bayh as his VP pick -- at least not yet. (Sometimes a softball game is just a softball game). Back in DC, scribes lunched w/T-Paw, praying he'll throw them a scrap about his McCain VP prospects. Good luck!

-- With so much ink and air pouring into the veepstakes, we offer up a novel idea: What if WH noms no longer kept VP searches super-secret? What if, instead, they held wide-open town-hall mtgs w/each candidate, taking them for road tests before announcing their final choices?

-- First, it would reduce risk. By the time VP noms are chosen, voters and the media already would have conducted our own thorough vetting, diminishing the potential for duds or flops. Second, it would reduce the time the press devotes to a story we know precious little about. Few things damage reporters' cred more than speculation-based chatter. Think of how much better the story would be if we had more facts to work with?

-- Of course, WH noms would never go for it. They cherish the secrecy because it lets them throw out short-listers who, while never seriously considered, please various interest groups. Hmmmm ... isn't that the best reason of all to open up the process?