DENVER - There's a general consensus Romney was knocked down the list by McCain's gaffe on houses (yesterday Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said picking Romney would be "doubling down" on the out of touch theme and he also called Romney an "expert" Cayman Island tax shelters). While Hutchison*, Ridge, and Lieberman remain on the list, they are all pro-choice. By default, then, the buzz seems to be centering on Tim Pawlenty.

I would add that unlike the Obama selection process, which was conducted under intense scrutiny, McCain's has been conducted in near complete solitude with the entire press corps camped out here in Denver. So he could conceivably pull off a dark horse pick that no one has focused on, a feat that was much tougher for Obama because of the saturation coverage.

Personally, I am not convinced Pawlenty is the best pick for McCain, but I also think it would be a huge strategic blunder for him to pick a pro-choice running mate given that he's done a very effective job of consolidating his base thus far. That leads me back to the guy no one is talking about John Kasich.

After all, what would be better than a cross state battle between Scranton and McKees Rocks?

*Hutchison has voted for a number of restrictions on abortion during her time in the Senate, but is still still considered to be pro-choice.