Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota was one of the names du jour on Wednesday as a top vice-presidential pick for Senator John McCain. In other words, the young Republican, a frequent guest on Mr. McCain's campaign bus during the primaries, was getting an up-tick of buzz.

Accordingly, Mr. McCain was asked about Mr. Pawlenty on Wednesday at a news conference in Bethlehem, Pa.

The senator, unsurprisingly, said he could not comment because he was in the middle of the selection process.

But couldn't he say anything positive about Mr. Pawlenty?

"Oh, Tim," Mr. McCain replied. "I'm sorry. He's a great, fine person. Re-elected in one of the toughest re-election years in the history of the Republican Party. He comes from a - his father I am pretty sure drove a truck. He has pretty successfully been able to work across the aisle in Minnesota with the Democrats. And I think he is - he, Bobby Jindal and a number of governors, I think are the future of the Republican Party, the next generation of leadership."