McCain's VP choice?

With national political conventions just around the corner, the subject of running mates is taking center stage in political circles.

This blog entry by the Baltimore Sun’s Paul West offers some interesting thoughts on a couple of potential John McCain running mates with Utah ties.

I have to admit I’ve always figured Mitt Romney to be a long-shot for a number of reasons. His religion, for one thing, might be a liability in the South, a GOP stronghold. But he does have a number of other assets that would bring strength to the ticket.

I’m reading a lot of buzz about Romney these days as the “logical” or “consensus” choice. This story from Bloomberg is one example. Maybe I need to rethink his chances.

But the mention of Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., as a running mate is truly interesting. The Sun’s blog isn’t the first time I’ve seen this. If the Clinton-Gore ticket truly dismantled conventional thinking about vice presidents (as was noted, Dick Cheney comes from a small, GOP-dominated Western state), then maybe Huntsman isn’t such a crazy idea. Unlike Cheney, however, he is completely unknown nationally.

I’d like to know your thoughts. If you were McCain, what choice would you make?