Bobby Jindal spends weekend with McCains under media glare

McCain and his high-profile guests piled into vans and SUVs for a short drive to lunch at the nearby hilltop Jerome Grand Hotel yesterday. Joining McCain and wife Cindy for lunch were Jindal and two other favourites former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and Governor Charlie Crist of Florida.

Dressed in casual weekend gear, the party dined on calamari, steak sandwiches, and burgers at the hotel’s restaurant, The Asylum, CNN reported.

McCain, however, has said he is just having a group of friends for the Memorial Day weekend to visit him and enjoy one of the most beautiful places in the United States. (Memorial Day is observed to pay homage to American men and women who died while fighting for the country).

During lunch, the McCains sat with Senator Sam Brownback and his wife, and Crist and a companion, while the rest of the guests spread out at three other tables. McCain picked up the tab for the group and appeared irritated by the press.

Speculation that it is a part of his effort to select his running-mate were sparked off after his recent statement that he had narrowed the list for his running-mate to about 20 names.

Analysts says Jindal, 36, can not only provide “diversity” to the ticket, but can also offset the age factor for 72-year-old McCain, who will be oldest first term President if elected, as he could be facing Democratic frontrunner Barack Obama, 46, who is an African American.

“I think they have to look for a diverse candidate for Vice President, which brings up somebody like Bobby Jindal, or may be a woman—somebody that brings diversity to the ticket,” said ABC News political analyst Matthew Dowd, former chief strategist for President George W Bush’s 2004 campaign.

Crist could, analysts say, bring a major asset to McCain because of his popularity in Florida where Obama is trying to find his feet and his rival Hillary Clinton is impliedly blaming him for not allowing their delegates to have a say at Democrats’ Denver convention which would select the nominee.

Crist also rings well with Republicans as he is pro-life and opposes ban on carrying guns. He was among the first people to endorse McCain and thus gave a boost to his campaign quite early in the process of selection for presidential candidate.