Kondracke Craves Christie Todd as McCain Veep

Mort Kondracke got one thing right: Rush Limbaugh would go Krakatoa . . .

The resident moderate of The Beltway Boys has counseled John McCain to offer the VP slot to Christie Todd Whitman. Mort made his move during last evening's show-ending "Buzz" segment.

MORTON KONDRACKE: Two new McCain Veep ideas: first, he should offer the Vice-Presidency to Colin Powell, who may well not take it. If not Powell, then Christie Todd Whitman, former governor of New Jersey. Rush Limbaugh would go Krakatoa but independents will like it, women will like it, and so will African-Americans, the whole package.

Conservatives will surely say Christie Todd is "the whole package" of liberal Republicanism that would leave part of the GOP base sitting on its hands come November. During her tenure as head of the Environmental Protection Agency in the current Bush administration, Whitman frequently clashed with its more conservative members over a number of policies. She ultimately resigned and wrote a book, It's My Party, Too which made the case for her brand of Republicanism and criticized the policies of the Bush administration.

So . . . what do readers think? Smart choice or sure to alienate the party's base? There's no denying that Rush's reaction would provide entertainment value for months to come.

Aside: Mort seemed to suggest that offering the VP nomination to Powell would be largely for symbolic value. Would Powell be so sure to decline it, and if by chance he accepted how would people view him in contrast with Christie Todd?