McCain: "Bob Riley has every potential to be a national figure"

Sen. John McCain was in Montgomery today for Gov. Riley's inauguration. The press seemed far too intrigued by the possibility that McCain may be considering Riley as a possible running mate should he win the 2008 Republican Presidential nomination. This early in the game, that kind of speculation is just plain silly.

Sen. McCain's purpose in visiting Alabama wasn't to interview a potential veep nominee, but to enlist support for his 2008 Presidential bid. He's been courting the Governor and other Alabama Republicans for quite some time now, and so far, those efforts have been quite fruitful. Attorney General Troy King has been named chairman of McCain's Straight Talk America PAC in Alabama, and several Republican legislators have signed on to his campaign. An endorsement from Bob Riley would be the icing on the cake.

Alabama is now reaping the benefits (if you can call it that) of having made its primary one of the earliest in the nation. We're not used to this kind of attention, but we'll be getting alot more of it between now and February 2008.