THE TRAIL

WHERE THERE'S SMOKE . . .

3 VP Possibilities Join McCain for Barbecue

As John McCain and his top aides privately ponder whom the Republican presidential candidate should pick as a running mate, the senator from Arizona is offering the public a glimpse of at least a few of the possibilities.

During an unseasonably mild Arizona weekend, McCain had a barbecue for three of the possible choices at his Sedona vacation home, but he said nothing to reporters staked out along the dirt road leading into the valley where the house is located.

The three were former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. Several of McCain's top aides also attended what the campaign dubbed merely a weekend "social" event with no vice presidential significance.

But McCain did not seem to be hiding from the media.

Television reports showed a caravan of vans and SUVs leaving the ranch to go to a restaurant called the Asylum overlooking the mountains of Sedona. But none of the participants made any comments to the reporters who followed.

Washington lawyer A.B. Culvahouse has begun vetting potential candidates for McCain, running down what the campaign says is a very long list of possible choices.

McCain has consistently said he is looking for a running mate who shares his beliefs and would be prepared to take over the presidency if needed. And his team is also taking political calculations into consideration, including candidates' geographical location, their relative youth compared with McCain and their knowledge of domestic issues.

McCain's aides are also looking at women and younger candidates, though the operative added that issues of gender and youth "would be secondary in McCain's mind."

-- Juliet Eilperin and Michael D. Shear