A friendly cookout or a grilling for VP candidates?

By BILLY HOUSE
Media General News Service
Published: May 23, 2008

WASHINGTON—Just a Memorial Day weekend barbecue?

Or an early grilling by Sen. John McCain and campaign aides of potential vice presidential running mates?

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and at least two other Republicans who have been widely mentioned as contenders to fill out the Republican ticket this fall are headed to McCain’s ranch-compound near Sedona over Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

But exactly why?

“The governor got a call from his friend, inviting him to go,“ confirmed Crist spokeswoman Erin Isaac, identifying McCain himself as having extended the offer.

Isaac said, the governor was happy to accept the invite to a “social get-together.“ He plans to bring along his girlfriend, New York socialite Carol Rome.

In all, 10 couples were invited, including Bobby Jindal, the governor of Louisiana and his wife, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and his wife.

Jindal has accepted. And so has Romney, who ran unsuccessfully against McCain for the party’s presidential nomination this year, said a McCain campaign staffer, Jeff Sadosky.

And yet another Republican governor, Minnesota’s Tim Pawlenty, who is also considered a potential contender for the vice presidential spot, was invited. But Pawlenty will not attend because of a previous engagement.

When the news of McCain’s weekend plans and the invited guests got out Wednesday, it prompted wide speculation in the New York Times and elsewhere that the presumptive GOP nominee for president is beginning to narrow his search for a running mate.

After all, McCain himself has said that he is in the initial stages of selecting a vice presidential candidate for the fall campaign, with as many as 20 names on his early checklists.

But the McCain campaign downplayed talk that this weekend is part of that process, saying the senator and his wife, Cindy, often host friends and political acquaintances at his ranch, amid the red rocks of Arizona.

Often described by the national press as McCain’s Sedona ranch, the hideaway is actually located near Cottonwood off a dirt road in what is known as Hidden Valley, complete with creeks, lush greenery, and a rustic cabin.

“The vetting of possible vice presidential candidates is just not on the agenda,“ insisted Sadosky.

From Baton Rouge, Jindal’s office released a statement saying he has met with McCain many times before and discussed the challenges facing the Gulf Coast region as communities continue to build after Hurricane Katrina. Like Crist, he is looking forward to joining McCain and the other guests this weekend, the statement said.

This is not Crist’s first invitation to spend time in Arizona with McCain. Earlier this year, Crist had to cancel a planned weekend with the McCains because of another, previously scheduled event.

Reporter Billy House can be reached at (202) 662-7673 or .