Free Republic

(CNN)Donald Trump's campaign is scrambling to ramp up its planning for the general election, including scraping together a list of potential vice presidential candidates, after Trump abruptly became the presumptive Republican nominee Tuesday night. The Trump campaign, blindsided by rival Ted Cruz's sudden exit from the race, is now beginning internal deliberations about potential vice presidential candidates, two Trump campaign sources tell CNN.

In her inaugural speech as Alaska’s 11th Governor, Sarah Palin said: “More government is not the answer. . . Government can’t make you happy, it can’t make you healthy, it can’t make you a productive member of society. Government’s role is to provide the tools.” With those words she defined herself as a conservative. Whether she is in the mold of Reagan or Goldwater or Buckley doesn’t matter, for Sarah Heath Palin seems to be headed for her own destiny and unique mark upon the American political landscape. During the recent primaries, whenever Mrs. Clinton started to stumble, bumble or...

RICHMOND, Virginia (Reuters) - It turns out choosing a vice president isn't that complicated after all. Republican presidential candidate John McCain joked on Monday that Google, the popular Internet search engine, had made investigating his list of potential candidates a little bit easier. "You know, basically it's a Google," he said to laughter at a fund-raising luncheon when asked how the selection process was going. "What you can find out now on the Internet -- it's remarkable."

Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, on Friday is scheduled to meet with two Republican governors who have been prominently mentioned as potential running mates, according to Republicans familiar with Mr. McCain’s plan. Charlie Crist, the governor of Florida, and Bobby Jindal, the governor of Louisiana, have both accepted invitations to meet with Mr. McCain at his home in Arizona, according to Republican familiars with the decision. One Republican said that Mitt Romney, a former rival of Mr. McCain for the presidential nomination — is also expected to visit him this weekend. Mr. Romney’s advisers declined to comment.

John F. Kerry has been phoning friends at all hours and reviewing vice-presidential choices dating to 1932 as the Democratic candidate nears what many consider the biggest -- and most telling -- decision of his general-election campaign, according to Democrats inside and outside the campaign. While Kerry is tight-lipped about the pick, these Democrats said the process is revealing much about how the Massachusetts senator views his strengths, his leadership style and the role of a vice president. Kerry has privately expressed confidence that voters see him as sufficiently strong on national security, they say, but wonders whether he needs...