A Possible Gay Running Mate for McCain?

I nearly burst out laughing the other morning when I heard Joe Scarborough on MSNBC talking about John McCain perhaps having Florida Governor Charlie Crist as his VP running mate. Rumors about Crist being gay have been around for some time and surprisingly were not ever really picked up by the media when he ran for governor in 2006, so perhaps Scarborough just dismissed the rumors. This article (http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/2008-02-28/news/the-talk-of-the-green-iguana/0 suggests that it might be harder to do if Crist gets a VP nod. After all, if Crist were to take the VP nomination every piece of his life will be put under a microscope and reviewed with a fine tooth comb. Can you image the foaming at the mouth that will overtake the GOP basis if this information gets a wider coverage? obviously, it’d be great fun to watch. Here are some story highlights:

The rumors about Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and the Green Iguana just wouldn't go away. The story goes that the Florida governor frequented the Green Iguana, a bar in Tampa, back in the early 1990s when he was just starting his political career. He was less careful back then, people say, and during his partying at the Green Iguana, he was openly gay. When I got Rick Calderoni, the bar's well-known owner, on the phone, I expected him to stonewall me about it. He didn't. Calderoni, who is gay, confirmed that Crist came into his bar quite often and that the two of them became friends. Getting to the point, I asked him if he knew Crist to be gay. "Yes," he answered bluntly. "I just wish he would come out and admit it. That would be a great thing if he did."

I asked Calderoni if he was certain that Crist is gay. He told me that Crist socialized with a gay clique of friends but conceded that he'd never actually seen Crist become intimate with another man. So how can he be sure Crist is gay? "The way he acted," Calderoni said. How did he act?
Calderoni laughed and said, "Very feminine."

The topic may soon, however, get some national play. After helping to deliver Florida in the GOP primary, Crist is widely believed to be on the short list to become John McCain's nominee for vice president. If he were to be chosen, imagine how interesting this presidential election would be. Not only would the American people be asked to vote for the first black president or female commander in chief, but, at least in terms of subtext, also the first gay vice president.

If McCain chooses Crist, it would be interesting to see how the voracious national press (as opposed to cautious Florida newspapers) would handle the issue. Would the New York Times put a small team of reporters on the story in an effort to dig up the truth? I think so. Just last week, a writer with a major national magazine called me on the topic. He said he was doing a general piece about the recent spate of Republican outings and scandals, but the V.P. talk surely has given a bit of urgency to the project.