Would-be VPs talk up Palin

ST. PAUL — A coterie of Republican vice presidential would-bes went to bat for Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on Wednesday in advance of her speech before the Republican National Convention.

As the campaign of Sen. John McCain seeks to tamp down less-than-positive reports about his running mate’s background, five candidates thought to be among those considered by McCain spoke in front of the home state delegation in St. Paul.

{mosads}The message of the day was focused squarely on Palin. They offered varying testimonies about her qualifications and suggested what she might say in her convention speech.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty didn’t dispute a reporter’s assertion that he was one of two finalists for the vice presidential pick, but he insisted that he wasn’t disappointed about being passed over and praised the victor.

“I think the party folks are enthusiastic, and now her challenge is to convince the rest of the country,” Pawlenty said. “I think she will.”

Former Rep. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), whose experience as director of the Office of Management and Budget and as U.S. trade representative made him a strong credentials candidate for the job, said Palin was picked, “to everyone’s surprise, I will tell you, including mine.”

Portman, who introduced the McCain-Palin ticket for the first time in Dayton, Ohio, last week, told The Hill that he didn’t even know about the pick when he took the stage.

Asked about how Palin’s qualifications stack up to his, Portman said being a state executive translates best to the presidential ticket.

“Being a governor, you are really the chief executive of a government,” Portman said. “Second, I think she brings a breath of fresh air in terms of adding diversity to the ticket.”

Former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina said she was informed of the Palin pick prior to the announcement.

When asked what Palin provided the ticket that she couldn’t, Fiorina called it a “bizarre question.”

“What she brings to the table is her own set of experiences and life story, and those are formidable,” Fiorina said. “As a governor, as a mayor, as a woman who’s balanced the challenges of both family life and work life – all of those are incredibly important experiences.”

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who was more forward about his angling for the vice presidential slot, didn’t talk as much about Palin in a brief speech to the Minnesota delegates.

But afterward, he called her “the hit of the convention” and said reports about her daughter’s pregnancy and other issues have been “over-hyped.”

Asked if she could help deliver Michigan, as it was hoped Romney could, the son of a former Michigan governor noted that Palin is a hunter like many Michiganders.

Referring to a past controversy over just how much of a “lifelong hunter” he is, Romney suggested Palin does a better job of fitting that bill.

“She’s been a lifelong hunter – the real kind,” Romney said light-heartedly. “She hunts moose. I hunted rabbits.”

Former Homeland Security Secretary and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge deferred to McCain’s judgment about whether Palin is the best fit but said she complements his maverick and reform-minded spirit nicely.

“She ought to just stay on-message, tell everybody what she believes, tell everybody what she’s done, and she’ll do just fine,” Ridge said.

Asked about his and fellow potential vice presidential candidates' backing up Palin, Ridge said: “We’re on message. Today is Sarah’s day.”