Murphy: Um, you know, because I come out of the blue-swing-state-governor world. Engler, Whitman, Tommy Thompson, Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush, I mean, and these guys -- this is all like how you win a Texas race, you know, just run it up, and it's not gonna work.

Noonan: It's over.

Murphy: Still, McCain can give a version of the Lieberman speech and do himself some good.

Todd: Don't you think the Palin pick was insulting to Kay Bailey Hutchison and to Olympia Snowe?

Noonan: I saw Kay this morning...

Todd: Yeah, she's never looked comfortable about ...

Murphy: They're all bummed out.

Todd: I mean, is she really the most qualified woman they could have turned to?

Noonan: The most qualified? No. I think they went for this, excuse me, political bullshit about "narratives" and youthfulness and the picture...

Todd: Yeah, but what's the narrative?

Murphy: I totally agree.

Noonan: ... Every time Republicans do that, because that's not where they live and it's not what they're good at, they blow it.

Murphy: You know what's really the worst thing about it? The greatest of McCain is "no cynicism," and it's cyncial.

Todd: This is cynical. And as you called it, gimmicky.