John McCain hosted a barbecue last weekend and invited several potential running mates, signaling the opening of vice presidential candidate speculation season. Joining the presumptive Republican nominee at his Arizona home were Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, Florida Governor Charlie Crist, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee.* All would be acceptable choices to a struggling GOP, but who will best help unite Republicans around the McCain campaign?

Like Democrats, Republicans are fractured this election season. The party that can quickly unite to claim moderate and undecided voters will boost its chances of winning in November.

McCain’s biggest weak points are his age, his economic policy, and his weakness with religious voters. Christian conservatives do not have an easily identifiable candidate this election season. Though McCain stands for many evangelical values, he does not trumpet his faith as Bush did in 2000 and Huckabee did earlier this year.

Bobby Jindal could provide McCain with the support he needs in the Christian community. Though Catholic, Jindal has appeal amongst evangelicals for his pro-family positions, including a hard line against all abortion. Mitt Romney received a mixed reception from evangelicals during the GOP primary, and could prove a liability for McCain on matters of faith.

However, Romney would bring McCain much needed business experience for his economic policy, and would give the GOP a clear heir apparent for 2012. Romney might also be able to bring in Michigan, providing much needed electoral votes, or at the very least force Romney is spend resources there.

Charlie Crist has been a popular first term governor and is widely rumored to be amongst McCain’s favorites. But a Florida news poll last week showed he might not bring as many Florida votes in the general election as first thought. Additionally, John Miller trashed Crist in a National Review article last month, pointing out the Florida governor’s pro-liberal past.

Another potential candidate is Mike Huckabee, though the politician-turned-comedian would not bring much to the ticket that Jindal or Crist couldn’t offer. Governors Mark Sanford (R-SC) and Tim Pawlenty (R-MN), along with Secretary of State Condelleza Rice have also been mentioned as likely candidates.

*CORRECTION: Mike Huckabee was invited to the gathering but didn’t attend, choosing an anniversary trip with his wife instead.

“Half of Louisiana is underwater and the other half is under indictment.” That’s how a former Congressman once characterized his own state.

All that will soon come to an end when governor-elect U.S. Representative Bobby Jindal carries out his campaign pledge to end government corruption. I as a Philadelphian applaud this development, as we in the Keystone State are constantly putting an end to the corruption of the previous administration.

Moreover, I was raised in Rhode Island (that would be the state contiguous to Connecticut, where in 2005 former Governor Rowland was incarcerated for selling his office, our own Governor DiPrete having pleaded guilty to 18 charges of corruption in 1998) where Mayor Buddy Cianci was forced to resign under a cloud of corruption in 1984. He ran again and won in 1991, and was subsequently sent to prison in 2001 for racketeering, extortion, conspiracy, witness tampering, and fraud — proving that he did in fact remove considerable corruption from the Ocean State by the removal of his own person.

No one ever wakes up in the morning and decides to be a thieving lowlife. It happens more like in the wonderful movie Quiz Show, where well-intentioned men make little compromises.

So I think it’s a good thing that we engage in this perennial (i.e., campaign seasonal) ritual of self-purging. At least for a few days after the election we can all be virgins again.

Conservatives and rednecks and backwater Confederates like their major political candidates white, male, native, Southern and Christian.  So why is an Indian about to become governor of Louisiana?  This is America at its best, and I’m surprised to see the MSM covering it so much.  His name’s Bobby Jindal, and he’s going to be the story of 2008. 

He is Oxford-educated.  A Rhodes scholar.  He is the son of immigrants from India.  He is a “born-again Catholic.”  He doesn’t mind the teaching of intelligent design.  He is, in short, a real weirdo in the weirdest state in the Union (edging past California for its lack of pretense, which is a sign of true oddity).  Go America.