As the country holds its breath and waits for Barack Obama's vice-presidential choice to emerge, it's worth taking a look at the running mate John McCain is planning to introduce a week from today.
A major aspect of McCain's appeal to independent voters -- the types political analysts call "swing" voters -- is his stated commitment to fighting climate change. No less an arbiter than Bill Clinton recently said that no matter who is elected president this year, reducing carbon emissions will vault to the top of the agenda.
But McCain may send a very mixed message next week by choosing a vice-president who is, shall we say, less than convinced about the merits of mandatory greenhouse gas reduction. Where do his hopefuls stand on the issue?...
Mitt Romney: He has become the front-runner in the VP speculation game, but just seven months ago Romney was slamming McCain's climate change bill as a "job killer" that would "make it harder for families to make their ends meet". The former Massachusetts governor was also filmed earlier this year saying a cap-and-trade carbon reduction scheme is "one of the possible solutions" but that he would only pursue it "with other nations involved".
Tim Pawlenty: This Minnesota governor, reportedly high on McCain's short list, is one potential running mate who might keep the Republican honest on climate change. He established a regional cap-and-trade system with fellow mid-westerners this year and backs state carbon reduction targets that are even steeper than McCain has proposed for the entire US. But critics have grumbled about Pawlenty's slow follow-through on the recommendations of his own climate change advisers.
Joe Lieberman: This dark-horse choice for McCain's No 2 was his co-sponsor on a major climate change reduction bill in 2005, making him a natural ally on the issue.
Tom Ridge: He is another long-shot candidate thanks to his support for abortion rights, but this former homeland security secretary has revealed little in recent years about his stance on climate change. In 2000, while governor of Pennsylvania, he signed onto a platform that called for "voluntary", not mandatory, carbon reductions and insisted on a global climate change treaty would only work if every country agreed to reductions.
