Rumors are flying that Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty will be John McCain's choice as the Republican Party's vice-presidential candidate.
Are you kidding me? It's barely been a year since the I-35W bridge collapsed in Minneapolis, with deaths, injuries and hundreds of millions of damage and disruption in its wake.
The Republican convention is right there in Minneapolis-St. Paul, and the fatally-failed bridge and lots of file footage were sure to be TV images, but if Pawlenty is chosen, the bridge serves another purpose - - a visual and visceral source of legitimate questioning about Pawlenty's record and leadership.
Members of Congress criticized his slow response applying for emergency federal aid.
And though federal authorities have not yet released a final report on the cause of the collapse, there was this interesting citation on a physics forum website:
"Investigators in bridge collapse focus on chilling video. By Jon Hilkevitch Tribune transportation reporter 9:41 PM CDT, August 2, 2007
"The bridge must have been near a state of collapse for some time, and the construction might have contributed to its failure," said Zdenek Bazant, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Northwestern University.
"Bazant said he suspects there may have been a hairline crack or fatigue in the steel joints near bridge supports, leading to the buckling" http://www.chicagotribune.com/services/newspaper/premium/printedition/Friday/chi-070802bridge,0,3911616.story?page=2
Great Gustav! The Republicans need this like they need another hurricane in New Orleans as a Katrina flashback to remind voters of the Bush administration's record and leadership.
The Republican convention looks like it's surrounded by some bad Karma - - the opposite of the transformational political event we have seen in Denver the last few days.
It's still not too late for McCain to rethink his Pawlenty choice.
Joe Lieberman is still available.
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