An interesting insight into how McCain sees things:

"I think that the pro-life position is one of the important aspects or fundamentals of the Republican Party. And I also feel that -- and I'm not trying to equivocate here -- that Americans want us to work together. You know, [former Pennsylvania Governor] Tom Ridge is one of the great leaders and he happens to be pro-choice. And I don't think that that would necessarily rule Tom Ridge out ... I think it's a fundamental tenet of our party to be pro-life but that does not mean we exclude people from our party that are pro-choice. We just have a -- albeit strong -- but just it's a disagreement. And I think Ridge is a great example of that. Far more so than [New York City Mayor Michael] Bloomberg, because Bloomberg is pro-gay rights, pro, you know, a number of other issues."

By what logic can gay rights be more significant an issue for a religious party like the GOP than abortion?

And why would pro-gay-equality Republicans be less welcome than pro-choice Republicans? There is no real comparison in any theology: abortion is arguably the taking of human life; the worst that can be said of gay couples is that refuse to make more human life. So placing the position on gay rights on a higher level than abortion rights can only be explained by bigotry, it seems to me. Or, in McCain's case, a perceived need to cater to bigotry.

You see; plenty of straight people he knows differ on abortion. But the gays, and tolerating them, well our kind of people don't do that. Of course, this may all be a tortuous way of asking if he can select Tom Ridge for his veep.