6/28/00 6:55 p.m.
Sooner Rather Than Later
The Bush camp leans toward an early pick.

By NR staff

overnor Bush's selection of a running mate involves a two-step calculation. Who will it be, and when will we know? We take a stab at this month's political parlor game of weighing the pros and cons of the veep possibilities in our issue out Friday, but there is really no accounting for Bush's subjective judgment about who he wants to share his ticket — and his fate over the next four months, maybe the next four years. On the other hand, an objective call can be made on when he should announce his pick.

The Bush camp is weighing whether to save the announcement until the convention, so there will be something newsworthy to complement the standard fare being served up in Philadelphia. The problem is that the coverage could be dominated by pundit speculation about the veep, at the expense of the convention's "message." There is also an appreciation in the Bush camp that most of the frequently mentioned possibilities might need an introduction to both the rank and file and the media. There are few candidates who would meet with the instant reaction Jack Kemp enjoyed in San Diego, but celebrity status could be gradually conferred over the several days leading up to Philadelphia, priming the delegates to extend an enthusiastic welcome.

There is also talk among GOP convention honchos about extending the quadriennial affair by having pre- and post-convention plans to wring maximum advantage from press attention. An early veep selection would fit the bill as a lead up to the convention.

At the moment, the "when?" decision seems to be tipping in the sooner, rather than later direction. So, if nobody can guess with certainly who Bush will pick, at least we probably won't have to wait that long to find out.