I'm not wild about the idea, but Pawlenty's openness to a state gas-tax hike strikes me as a frivolous reason to keep him off the ticket. Especially if there's any chance he could put the GOP over the top in Minnesota.

He's an impressive guy and has been talked about a bit. But every time his name has comes u in the last few weeks, conservative alarm bells go off — readers constantly point out to me that he supports increasing taxes on gas in response to the bridge collapse in Minnesota. A friend points out too, "Why would we open up a governorship that Democrats could easily win?"

I think rather than hoisting himself into the front tier (that would take some fundraising), Huckabee may eventually get some VP buzz, especially if Giuliani gets the nomination. Rudy is going to need shoring up with the pro-life right and will have to pick a strong pro-life VP. I've been trying to think of names, but it’s hard to come up with many. That's why there will be talk of Huckabee (although I don't see him as very plausible even as a VP). It's hard to see Brownback on a ticket, and Giuliani will presumably want to stay away from senators given he'll be running an anti-Washington, anti-senator campaign. Maybe Haley Barbour? Silver-tongued, Southern, great with the media—but then there's Mississippi and his lobbyist connections. Tim Pawlenty? Who else?