Among Republicans, the picture is less clear. Some have speculated that Huckabee may join McCain’s campaign as a running mate, to boost McCain’s weak conservative credentials. McCain and Huckabee reportedly have great respect for one another personally. Others frequently mentioned include conservative Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty and, rather surprisingly, Senator Joe Lieberman, an Independent-Democrat, who ran as Al Gore’s running mate for vice-president in 2000. Lieberman surprised many in Washington by crossing the political aisle to endorse McCain’s campaign, which was then in the doldrums.

The writer researches US foreign policy towards South Asia in Washington DC djaishankar@brookings.edu