We're not at all buying some of the national press Buzz that John McCain may have mortally wounded himself in Florida over his new drilling stance, but it's so far not helping Charlie Crist's national image. The Hotline today even questioned whether Crist's support for McCain's position had sunk 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. ... (But) 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?"

A bigger reason the Veep-0-needle swings back? Crist's first non-Florida review of his speaking skills before Republicans last week in Cal. (Crist showed "unequivocally he would be a complete disaster for the GOP - the worst running mate since Dan Quayle," wrote an Orange County Register columnist). Reminded us of Bob Graham's disastrous '00 tryout as an Al Gore surrogate speaker in Nashville.