A Look at McCain's Short List of VPs
BROWN: We're back with our panel now. We've got Steve Kornacki, Tara Wall and Jessica Yellin with us, picking up where we left off. We've been telling you all night about John McCain's off the cuff joke today. And it's the kind of thing that has gotten him in a little bit of trouble before. You may remember his sing-along to bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran. Well, listen to what he said this afternoon. And we put some subtitles in only because it's a little hard to hear. Listen.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've learned that the exports to Iran increased by tenfold during the Bush administration. The biggest export was cigarettes. Given that the, yes, that the supposedly --</s>SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Maybe that's a way of killing them. I meant that as a joke.</s>BROWN: OK, he -- it's exactly the kind of off the cuff comment, Tara, that has gotten him into trouble before, even when he says I meant that as a joke. Do you think that's going to be a problem?</s>WALL: No, come on. I mean, you know, look, he said right then and there he meant it as a joke. I think that sometimes we read too much into some of these gaffes, if you will. I've said it before, I'll say it again. Between Barack Obama and John McCain, there have been gaffes on the campaign trail. There will be more gaffes to come. This is not, you know, a do or die situation here.</s>KORNACKI: Yes. He meant it as a joke, but I think that reveals something very significant about this man's thinking when it comes to Iran and when it comes to the Middle East.</s>BROWN: What do you mean?</s>KORNACKI: Because this is the second time he's made a joke about killing Iranians. The first time as you mentioned is when he is singing along singing bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran. This is a guy who when he thinks of Iran, sees nothing but an enemy, sees nothing but something -- nothing but a country that we need to confront. We need to confront them militarily. We need to confront them aggressively. That is the only thing John McCain sees when he sees Iran. That's the view of the Middle East that he subscribes to. And it's funny because you had a package at the start of the show we talked all about, you know, how strained the U.S. military is right now between Iraq and between Afghanistan. And this is a guy who seems to want to open up a third front on this war from day one.</s>WALL: Oh, that's a stretch. Come on. Iran is serious.</s>BROWN: Let me bring Jessica into this. Is Steve reading too much into this? Or is this reflective of how McCain feels?</s>YELLIN: This is the kind of thing that reinforces existing views of John McCain. People who already don't like him see this as an awful statement. People who love and think he's a maverick and he's a real guy who makes a joke off the cuff just like real people do. And the rest of the American public just isn't paying attention and doesn't care about this sort of thing. The only red flag is if this indicates John McCain going off the ranch more and more, there could be trouble down the line. We're all waiting to see if something explodes. That's the kind of thing that could get him in trouble eventually. This kind of comment doesn't.</s>BROWN: OK, guys, I want to shift gears and talk about the other big issue. And Jessica, I know you've been doing some reporting for us on this. The presidential veepstakes and John McCain. What do you know?</s>YELLIN: Well, John McCain really has to make a decision when he looks at the vice presidential pick. Does he want somebody who sort of reinforces his strength? Or does he want to find a vice presidential candidate who helps correct his weaknesses?</s>YELLIN (voice-over): A number of governors seem to be in constant audition mode for the job. Just in time for the VP finals, Florida's Charlie Crist, a lifelong bachelor, announced he's engaged. It's been a while since we've had a single vice president, especially one from a key battleground state. Louisiana's Bobby Jindal, the youngest governor in the nation, and South Carolina's Mark Sanford, all seen as the next generation of Republican leaders. Both are strong social conservatives filling in a gap in McCain's resume. Minnesota's Tim Pawlenty has all that, plus he's another swing state guy. Could be a two-fer.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He comes from outside Washington. He's a two- term governor. But he also has a relationship with the evangelical community.</s>YELLIN: On the other hand, McCain who has made no secret he's running on national security could pick a number two to provide some domestic policy balance, beefing up the ticket's economy cred. Someone like former rival and business superstar Mitt Romney, former Hewlett Packard's CEO Carly Fiorina, or former Congressman Rob Portman, who once manned the White House Office of Management and Budget. The candidate's guiding philosophy?</s>SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE:  MCCAIN: I don't think you have to be close friends as much as you have to share the principles, the values, the goals, et cetera, but also the priorities.</s>YELLIN: Hmm, doesn't really narrow it down much. Some wild card picks could be independents like Joe Lieberman, a foreign policy ally, or New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg. Either would prove McCain's bipartisan credentials, but could alienate conservatives. The latest buzz, South Dakota Senator John Thune, who virtually screams of youth and vitality, qualities that could be a good match for the older McCain or highlight his age. A delicate balance.</s>BROWN: All right. Jessica Yellin for us. Jessica stay there though. Jessica, along with Tara and Steve, are going to talk to us about this issue. When we come back, coming up, 12. Count them, 12 possible GOP vice presidents. I'll ask which one should get the nod. They've all got their picks. Also ahead, the Obama kids and their Access Hollywood debut. Is politics suddenly more important than privacy? We'll talk about that.