So, who is willing to "take one for the team?"

If you've read any of my past posts, by now it is no secret that I think that adding Gov. Palin to the ticket is a disastrous, credibility-shredding move for John McCain. If you're in the McCain camp right now, its going to be a loooong two months to election time if she stays on the ticket (but on the bright side, you'll have a lot of free time, starting in November.).

So, now that you finally are starting to see the hand that you've dealt yourself, do you fold and find another Veep candidate or ante up on Palin?

First, the good news: your base is energized, and you may be able to keep a lot of that momentum if you can find another pro-life Veep candidate. Check. If you can find another pro-life woman, double check. You've set the "experience" bar so incredibly low with Palin (and gotten away with it with your base, so far), that it might actually be possible to find someone who fits these minimalist criteria. Also, Palin's personal story lends itself very easily to a compelling and understandable "bowing out" of the race, due to "personal and family reasons," so if you can find another candidate and can pry the Veep slot away from Palin, you're on the way.

Now, the bad news: who, in their right mind, would be willing to replace her on the ticket? The reason that McCain went to Palin in the first place was because he was in trouble. Selecting her compromised his integrity, caused his judgment to be questioned and revealed that the vetting process left a lot to be desired. Switching VPs only magnifies both McCain's failings and the Palin mistake, even if the electorate buys the story that she is voluntarily stepping aside.

Would a politician of any stature risk tying him or herself to a campaign that is on life support, having to campaign hard for two months, and then going home a loser? Generally, unsuccessful candidates don't get "do-overs." So whoever is picked would pretty much have to not have a burning desire to be President someday. There may be somebody out there. There may be somebody willing to "take one for the team."