Article: ELECTION 2008; Veep best bets; are D.C. insiders; Running mates usually have presidential presence, observers say

Washington -- Ask Paul Ryan why he gets mentioned from time to time in the speculation about John McCain's future running mate, and he recites what he calls "the checklist."

"Young guy. Economics guy. From a swing state. Catholic," says Ryan, the 38-year-old Janesville congressman who has become a kind of point man in the GOP on tax and budget issues.

Ryan says he doesn't take the chatter very seriously.

But the "checklist" he reels off is a perfect illustration of the logic that drives the guessing game in both parties over the vice presidential sweepstakes ("veepstakes" for short).

In the popular mind, nominees pick running mates for their impact in key swing states, or for political ...

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