Agreed. I think it would be a major mistake. All the VP candidate is usually good for is carrying his own state. Pawlenty isn’t going to do that for McCain. So what benefit is he? None, it would seem.
The only exception I’d make to that would be if the selection were a woman or minority. In that case, a selection that didn’t necessarily carry the state might well excite that particular demographic nationwide.
But a white guy from a near-certain Dem state and who is a moderate GOPer at best? Pass. He might be a very safe pick, but safe probably isn’t going to win this election.
Why don’t you think Pawlenty could put McCain over the top in Minnesota? Polling in Minnesota has been all over the place... there was just a poll recently that had McCain down by only 3 points or something like that. A popular governor could be worth 5 points, couldn’t he?