Quotes he needed

Ed Henry outsources his so-called news analysis (again with the mythical McCain VP hunt) this way:

While I was in Lima, Ohio, last week, I asked Republican voters waiting in line for a McCain town hall meeting what they thought.

These Ohio Republicans oblige with a series of guesses that have already been well-washed through the pundits. No one Henry quotes has anything interesting to say, but they provide quotes to fit into his narrative.

Romney is the plurality guess, but Henry fails to note his lack of wingnut credibility. Sure, he had the politically convenient epiphany on abortion and the one on embryonic stem cell research and the one on this total freaking political identity. If Tom Ridge's abortion rights position deserves mention, surely Romney's opposition in 2002 to every anti-abortion stand except for age of consent merits a line.

Doesn't it come down to what's more important to McCain to win the election? Here are some choices:

• Money - Romney, but I think Republican fund-raising will not be a problem. They're just going to steer their money through other entities than McCain's campaign, mostly 527s which can take rivers of unrestricted money, but also the RNC. No coordination, nudge, nudge, wink, wink.
  
• Securing the wingnut base - If McCain still needs this, he's toast. Conservatives have rallied grumpily behind him. He just has to avoid alienating them, as he might with bachelor Charlie Crist.
• Defending a red state in play, say Virginia - Problem: No good option. Also, it suggests planning to avoid an Obama landslide, not planning to win.
  
• Putting a blue state in play, say Pennsylvania or Minnesota.

Did I just commit real analysis? Sorry, I should just wait until the announcement.