Drilling Down

Just hours after McCain called for lifting the ban on off-shore drilling, one longtime drilling foe (oh, and VP hopeful, BTW ), FL's Crist, told reporters he's suddenly open to the idea. Crist's sudden change of heart may help give McCain cover, but does it ultimately sink his VP chances?

-- No one can say Crist hasn't been a team player. Turn on MSNBC or CNN's Sit Room and you're likely to see his tanned visage pitching for McCain. More important, the FL press corps wasn't seriously criticizing his extracurricular activities, giving him ample opportunities to build his nat'l profile.

-- That ended today. An editorial in the Palm Beach Post accused Crist of "pandering," and its Crist "timeline" on the issue began w/his 8/06 statement: "I oppose any efforts that will allow oil drilling off of Florida's coasts." Ouch.

-- If "taking one for the team" compromises your home-state standing, doesn't that make you less helpful to the party? And does Bush's decision to come out in support of drilling today only ensure its unpopularity?

-- Today's Q poll doesn't boost Crist's VP stock either; just 16% of FLians say having him on the ticket would make them more likely to pick McCain.