McCain-Cantor?

The Virginia blogosphere is atwitter over the news that the McCain campaign is vetting Congressman Eric Cantor (R-VA7) as a potential vice-presidential running mate.

The Write Side of My Brain cites the Associated Press, which says McCain's HR team has asked for "personal documents" from Cantor. For his part, citing the Politico's version of the same story, The Right-Wing Liberal refers to this as "the equivalent of meeting the parents."

Consertiva photoshops McCain and Cantor together, saying "Please, oh please, let’s have a McCain-Cantor / Obama-Kaine fight in November." Shaun Kenney points out, quoting Fox News, that Cantor has already raised $10 million for the McCain campaign, adding:

Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less? All Eric Cantor folks. $10 million? That's more than either Virginia Senate candidate has been able to raise thus far (and Cantor does it in one shot).

The Washington Times has also picked up the story, though without a byline it is difficult to determine whether the paper did its own reporting or is just rehashing the AP's earlier report. The Times notes:

The youthful Virginia lawmaker has been a visible McCain surrogate for weeks, appearing frequently on cable news outlets chiefly to promote the Arizona Republican's positions on domestic and economic issues. He has been a forceful critic of Democrat Sen. Barack Obama's resistance to lifting the federal ban on oil and gas drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

While the talk of "Cantor for Veep" is exciting to us Virginians -- a state that hasn't seen a vice-presidential candidate on a major-party ticket since John Tyler in 1840 -- I stand by my March 5 prediction that McCain's running mate will be former Ohio congressman Rob Portman.

(For those who want to hear Eric Cantor exhort Americans to "Drill here, drill now, pay less," check out this two-minute video summary of the Virginia Republican convention.)