On the Republican side of the Presidential race, John McCain has all but won the nomination. It’s time to start looking at who would best serve as his Vice President.

The pundits and many on the right wing side of the Republican Party are saying the best way to “unite” the party and get full support from the far right trenches would be for McCain to pick someone who can “beyond doubt” wear the belt of “a true conservative.”

That’s not the way I see it. I don’t believe McCain needs the far righties to win.

McCain beat those types of guys with a New York Giants-type game plan. Like the Giants, McCain was left for dead at the beginning of the “season” like the Giants were. McCain kept running plays and finally, like Eli Manning’s pass to Plaxico Burress in the end zone, McCain dispensed with Mitt Romney – the last viable obstacle in the nomination process.

McCain beat the so-called “real” conservatives. He beat the flip-floppers (Romney and Giuliani). He’s beating the “Christian right” Southern Baptist guy (Huckabee). He’s beating the Constitutional fellow (Paul). He beat the Southern-Republican-turned-politician-turned-actor-turned-politician (Thompson). McCain beat the immigration candidate (Tancredo). He beat the Catholic-Republican (Brownback).

Probably best of all, McCain beat the right-wing talk radio folks. They were out in force trying to derail the straight-talk express and even called in Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, to help them. They lost.

McCain’s 83% lifetime conservative rating from the American Conservative Union was not enough for most Conservatives. The Conservatives bellowed and pounded their fists for a 100% Conservative candidate. They got someone who eight out of 10 times voted their way. They are not happy and may take their vote and stay home. Oh, how times are changing!

I think McCain understands that many of us are tired of the fighting going on in D.C. We want to see action. We would like to see a day when people work together for the good of America instead of their party. Let’s see someone put America first instead of the “Party” and their next election.

So whom should McCain pick?

Joe Lieberman is the man who should be McCain’s Vice President. Lieberman is an Independent Democrat and McCain is a moderate Republican. These two gentlemen would draw from the middle of the road folks (Independents) and from the moderate sides of the Republican and Democratic parties. They would draw votes from the people who are sick and tired of “party politics” and from the Independents who vote for the person and not because of that person’s party affiliation.

McCain and Lieberman both know what it’s like to be thrown under the bus by their respective parties, so they should hold no allegiance to either.

Realistically, if the GOP leaders really want to win the White House, this team may be the only way for a Republican to do it.

During his endorsement of McCain, Lieberman said,

“In this critical election, no one should let party lines be a barrier to choosing the person we believe is best qualified to lead our nation forward. The problems that confront us are too great, the threats we face too real, and the opportunities we have too exciting for us to play partisan politics with the Presidency.

“We desperately need our next President to break through the reflexive partisanship that is poisoning our politics and stopping us from getting things done. We need a President who can reunite our country, restore faith in our government, and rebuild confidence in America’s future.”

They could even use the theme from Democratic gubernatorial candidate Brian Schweitzer’s 2004 campaign when he selected moderate Republican John Bohlinger as his Lt. Governor. (I’ve edited the theme some), “A Republican and Democrat working together for the United States.” (OK, I know my right wing friends will be mad at me for using the Bohlinger example).

Having these two fellows running together would be different for the entrenched folks in Washington, D.C. Very different. Maybe this is a chance we should take to get our country back on track.