Veepstakes! Update: Palin Around and other updates

Looks like I got on the bandwagon just before the train left the station (How's THAT for a mixed metaphor!) as CNN's Political Markets have placed Palin fourth in the race for #2, behind only Romney, Crist and Pawlenty. That's pretty good odds for the darkhorse from Alaska!

I'll reiterate here that Palin is a brilliant candidate that would really shake up the race. She's got the poise, the integrity and the personality to make a great Vice President, and of course a great president one day. I can't talk her up more highly. Tell your friends (particularly if they voted Hillary)

Some other facts have emerged in the race that bear weight on the odds as I had them. Here they are in short...

• Mitt Romney has emerged as a Top McCain Surrogate and apparently has made nice enough for McCain insiders to say he's currently the top contender. (Boosts Odds)
  
• Bobby Jindal gets in a fight with the state legislature of Louisiana that reminds people just how green he is. (Drops Odds)
  
• Tim Pawlenty, McCain's supposed odds-on favorite, gets dumped from that spot while polls show his home state out of reach for McCain even with T-Paw on the ticket. (Drops Odds)
  
• Charlie Crist gets engaged and changes his positions on Offshore drilling effectively but stays way too orange for his own good. (Boosts Odds)
  
• Rob Portman raises massive amounts of cash for McCain, actually gives a pretty good speech. Who knew? (Boosts Odds)
• Bloomberg's popularity in NY drops, he fights with state goverment. (Drops Odds)
  
• Huckabee goes... somewhere. Says... something. No one cares. (Drops Odds)
  
• Palin mania breaks out among the GOP chattering classes. (Boosts Odds)
  

And so we are left with this-

Ex-Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)- 4 to 1 (Good Pick)
Gov. Sara Palin (R-AK)- 5 to 1 (Best Pick)
Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN)- 6 to 1 (Bad Pick)
Gov. Charlie "Supertan" Crist (R-FL)- 8 to 1 (Mixed Bag)
Hon. Rob Portman (R-OH)- 10 to 1 (OK Pick)
Ex-Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AK)-12 to 1 (Good Pick)
Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA)- 15 to 1 (Good Pick)
Ex-Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN)- 30 to 1 (Good Pick)
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT)- 35 to 1 (OK Pick)
Mayor Micheal Bloomberg (I-NY)- 40 to 1 (Mixed Bag)
Hon. Colin Powell (R-CA)- 100 to 1 (Good Pick)


I'd be happy with either name on the top of that list. Governor Romney is a great Republican on economic issues (his one consistent front) and Governor Palin is the new face of the GOP.

Hey if McCain looses what do you think? Palin-Romney 2012? Romney-Palin 2012?