'Meet the Press' transcript for Feb. 17, 2008

MR. RUSSERT: Well, Kate O'Beirne is not waffling. This is the cover of the National View. This is her article right here. "Please Nominate This Woman--This Couple" by Kate O'Beirne. That's who you want.

MS. O'BEIRNE: Absolutely. As you talk to Republicans, I think--I think Bobby put it on that, too, they look across this bleak landscape for them. If you knew nothing else, you'd recognize it's extremely difficult for a party to win that White House a third consecutive time. And then you pile on top of it, an unpopular president, an unpopular war, the enormous advantage Democrats have on the issues, the party identification numbers look terrible for them. And they keep talking, "Oh, Hillary Clinton, maybe she can--even she would have to be favored, I think, in this climate, but maybe she can bail us out."

MR. RUSSERT: John McCain has been trying to unite the Republican Party. Here's Thursday, Mitt Romney's endorsement of John McCain up in Boston, not particular close body language, but nonetheless he said the right words.

MS. O'BEIRNE: Yeah.

MR. RUSSERT: It reminded us of 2000. This was the John McCain endorsement of George Bush. Not very happy there. But 2004, a much different story. There's the hug, and even the kiss here. These are people who obviously...

MS. O'BEIRNE: They later bonded.

MS. CARLSON: Yeah.

MR. RUSSERT: Bonded. Tomorrow, we expect this endorsement, John McCain with Bush 41 down in--there's an endorsement coming from George Herbert Walker Bush, which leads us to this poll in Texas. Right now, John McCain, 45; Mike Huckabee, 41. What does that tell us?

MS. O'BEIRNE: This is not...

MS. CARLSON: Yeah.

MS. O'BEIRNE: This is not helpful. I think bad for the Republicans now. I think Mike Huckabee has become sort of a repository for people who are uncomfortable, Republicans, with John McCain, unhappy with John McCain. And it's just not, it's not helpful to have this go on as a proxy for that kind of discontent. John McCain's going to be the nominee, and it's crucial that he enthuse and unify Republicans.

MR. NOVAK: And...

MS. CARLSON: But there's nothing that can unify the Republicans except Hillary Clinton. And could two people be more further apart while shaking hands than Romney and McCain? There is not going to be a coming--a great coming "Kumbaya" moment for Republicans. It's not going to happen.

MR. NOVAK: Huckabee serves no useful purpose except to boost up his lecture fees, which is the way he makes a, makes a living. And Huckabee...

MR. SHIELDS: Do you oppose that?

MR. NOVAK: Not at all. But I'm not running for president. Huckabee...

MR. SHIELDS: Thank God.

MS. O'BEIRNE: (Unintelligible)...competition, Bob.

MR. NOVAK: Huckabee is the, is the--is getting votes from people who are, who are unhappy with the McCain choice, unhappy with his positions that--on several issues. And McCain is a high-tax, protectionist person who in the Southern Baptist Conference was a...

MS. O'BEIRNE: Oh, Huckabee is.

MS. CARLSON: Huckabee.

MR. NOVAK: Huckabee is, I'm sorry, high-tax protectionist who, in the Southern Baptist Conference was allied with the left-wing forces.

MR. RUSSERT: So he won't be vice president?

MR. NOVAK: Absolutely not.

MR. RUSSERT: Who will McCain take, Bob?

MR. NOVAK: They don't have any idea, but I'll make a prediction that it will be somebody that will really not be on the A-list. And I have some, I have some possibilities.

MR. RUSSERT: Give us one.

MR. NOVAK: One would be former Congressman, former special trade, U.S. trade representative, former budget director Rob Portman. I think he would be an excellent...

MR. RUSSERT: From Ohio.

MR. NOVAK: From Ohio. Another one would be a younger congressman, ranking Republican on the Budget Committee and a tax cutter, Paul Ryan. Somebody like that who would, who would be younger than McCain, which isn't hard to find, and, and somebody who would be much more regular on taxes than McCain has been.

MR. RUSSERT: Let's go around the table. Quick guess. John McCain's VP.

MS. O'BEIRNE: Younger, outside Washington, with experience in economic and domestic policy issues. Maybe Rob Portman, maybe Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina or Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota.

MR. SHIELDS: Got to be worried about John McCain-Fred Thompson. You don't need two grumpy old white men on the--on the ticket. So I think Kate is right. I think I'd consider gender. I'd think about a woman. Kay Bailey Hutchison has been mentioned. I know there's resistance to her, but from Texas. I think Mel Martinez, if he can find his baptismal certificate that he was born in Miami instead of Havana, I think, you know, a Latino would make sense. But I think--I'd probably bet on Pawlenty at this point.

MR. RUSSERT: Margaret.

MS. CARLSON: I think John McCain needs somebody younger, of course, but who's created a job and who's had executive experience, and so it argues for a governor. Could be Governor Crist, who's at about 70 percent in Florida, and delivered Florida to him, or I agree, Sanford, who's young, cheerful, and would...

MR. NOVAK: Cheerful?

MS. CARLSON: I think he--well, compared to you, compared to you and John McCain.

MR. NOVAK: I'm a Sanford fan, but nobody's ever called him cheerful.

MR. RUSSERT: Albert Hunt.

MR. HUNT: I agree with Kate. I think it's either Sanford or Pawlenty.

MR. RUSSERT: OK. Democrats. Obama, Clinton, who's the nominee?

MS. O'BEIRNE: I think Barack Obama has a better chance of being on this ticket than Hillary Clinton does. I just can't figure out what spot he might be in, Tim. At the moment, and these polls have not hold--held up two weeks, never mind--I mean, two days, never mind two weeks. I, I would--I think Barack Obama is now favored.

MR. RUSSERT: Mark.

MR. SHIELDS: I think predicted that President Kerry would not seek a second term, my prophetic credentials are pretty tarnished. I'd say right now, betting, I think Obama is the favorite to, to win this nomination. But I wouldn't, I wouldn't bet your ranch.

MR. RUSSERT: Margaret.

MS. CARLSON: You know, Elvis never left the building. You just cannot count the Clintons out. They're such fighters. But the curve is like this for Obama and it's just flat for Clinton. So at the moment you'd say all, all the excitement, all the hope is with Obama.

MR. NOVAK: This is not going to be decided on who has the delegates at all these delegate counts, and counting superdelegates. It's going to be who has the momentum, and I think Obama will have the momentum.

MR. RUSSERT: Al Hunt.

MR. HUNT: Tim, I said earlier that she has to run the table. If she does that, she could win it, but that's the--there's no margin for error. You have to go with Obama right now.

MR. RUSSERT: Mark.

MR. SHIELDS: Tim, just one point about Hillary Clinton. I can remember in 1980 the Republicans want to run against her so badly--1980, every Democrat's hope with Jimmy Carter in big trouble was that the Republicans would nominate this guy with prematurely red hair, orange hair, out of Hollywood. Not nominate George Bush, not nominate John Connally, not nominate Howard Barker who could beat Carter but who could beat him. The last thing I recall, he won 44 of the 50 states. You got to be careful what you wish for in this business.

MR. RUSSERT: That is the last word. We're going to continue on our Web site. We're going to talk about Obama's VP choice, and also the outrage of the campaign. We got to get to the outrage. "Capital Gang," it was great to have you back. And more of "The Capital Gang," their predictions coming up, msnbc.com, our MEET THE PRESS Take Two Web extra. That'll be on our Web site this afternoon, mpt.msnbc.com. We'll be right back.

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MR. RUSSERT: That's all for today. We'll be back next week. If it's Sunday, it is MEET THE PRESS.

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