We never heard of President Scoop Jackson. Or Orville Freeman. Or Herschel Loveless. Or Henry Wallace.

So McCain went North to the Future for his running mate instead of to the North Star State.

He decided against Pawlenty in favor of a younger person, a woman. [There is an interesting parallel with the senator's love life there, but it is probably off topic.]

Actually, our governor was probably never high in McCain’s eye anyway. History is full of people who have been thought of as likely running mates who never got the honor. John F. Kennedy had almost every Democratic governor [including Orville Freeman] whose state had wavering delegates convinced that he was going to be the one and then chose Lyndon Johnson, a person nobody suspected [and who because of the choice did become president]. Almost every other GOP office holder in the country was surprised when the first Bush picked J. Danforth Quayle of Indiana.

Historically, the choice has not always been the candidate’s. Until FDR went to Chicago to accept his party’s nomination in person it was not unprecedented for candidates who were to be on the same ticket to not even have met. Party leaders had a role and they forced candidates, even incumbent presidents to remember that. It wasn’t until about three decades after World War II that the parties seemed to finally concede the nominees this privilege. They forced FDR to dump Henry Wallace for Harry Truman in 1944. In 1956 Adlai Stevenson decided to not fight the leaders and throw the choice up to the delegates. In 1972 George McGovern had a hard time selling Thomas Eagleton when his own delegates thought they were truer believers than their own nominee. There was even a GOP effort to bolt at the choice of Agnew in 1968. each other beforehand.

Pawlenty may feel jilted. Romney may too. But that’s politics and may simply be testament to McCain’s acting ability, possibly mixed with the flawed mirrors which seem to be in every politician’s abode.

And Sarah Palin will be the second post-war governor and the first since Agnew to be nominated for Vice-President by a major party.