Top conservatives wonder: Who should McCain pick as VP?

(Charlotte Examiner) - At Monday night's book party at Morton's Steakhouse celebrating Newt Gingrich's latest tome, "Real Change," several conservative leaders pondered whom Sen. John McCain -- were he to capture the Republican nomination -- should pick as vice president.

Although Gingrich said, "We need to shrug off McCain," he predicted that the Arizona senator would capture the Republican nomination.

Gingrich predicted Florida Governor Charlie Crist as McCain's VP pick, but that prediction didn't sit well with several other partygoers, who thought Crist too moderate to appease a conservative base already displeased with McCain at the top of the ticket.

"I don't think [McCain] would be that stupid," Richard Viguerie told Yeas & Nays. "McCain has to show that he cares about conservatives."

What about Mike Huckabee? "He's a Christian socialist," said Viguerie. "It doesn't matter if McCain says that his vice president pick is conservative -- we need someone that the conservative base will say is conservative."

When we asked Gingrich whom he would personally want as veep, he punted: "I have no idea -- that's McCain's problem."

Gingrich also discussed Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama. "He's easily the most liberal candidate out there. He's left of both John Kerry and George McGovern." It's the Republican's job to point this out to the American people, but Newt's not sure that the party is up to the task.

"We may just be incompetent enough to not discuss the policy cost of Obama," he said. Still, Gingrich said that Obama is "an incredibly impressive" candidate and shows "just how desperate Americans are for change."