John McCain needs to pick a running mate. He has a tough decision to make.

A very old presidential candidate in a party that has lost the confidence of the American people, McCain will likely face a young, charismatic black guy who promises to “turn the page” away from the Clinton-Bush era, toward a new era of bipartisanship and unity. Meanwhile, the base of McCain’s party has serious and legitimate misgivings about him.

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Those misgivings have prompted some on the right, including my colleagues Ramesh Ponnuru and Kate O’Beirne, to argue that McCain should offer a one-term-and-out pledge. This not only would defuse the age issue but would telegraph in concrete terms that McCain really is a different kind of politician (while Obama only pretends to be). “The public, never fond of Washington politicians as a class, is especially sick of them these days,” writes Ponnuru. “It longs for leaders who are above the poisonous partisanship they see on TV. A one-term pledge would remind people that McCain has been such a leader.”

But at the same time, conservatives like Ponnuru argue that McCain needs to pick a running mate who will reassure conservatives. Indeed, National Review has editorialized that delegates to the GOP convention should revolt if McCain picks a pro-choice or otherwise squishy veep candidate. “In picking a running mate Sen. McCain will also be conferring front-runner status on a candidate for his party’s future nomination. A selection that reassures wary conservatives will help to enthuse his supporters for the tough race he faces,” opined my colleagues.

This makes consummate sense — if McCain picks a Republican. But by picking a staunch-conservative Republican, McCain would undercut his standing with the independents and swing voters he needs to win. If he picks a squishy Republican, many conservatives will stay home in disgust.

But what if he picks a Democrat? Specifically, what if he picks a Democrat while pledging one term and out?


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