Dafydd over at Big Lizards has been giving John McCain advice on how to run his campaign… and I think McCain should be reading it. The latest starts riffing off of how slashing Medicare means reducing “the Medicare growth rate from 7.2% per year to 5%” even though “inflation has averaged 2.69% per year during Bush’s presidency” and will probably rise to only “around 3.5% this year”.

He’s also giving some very good advice about choosing a running mate.

This can either be an ordinary election—or a transformative one. We can choose to just kick the can down the road, or we can establish what Republicanism will mean for the next several decades. McCain is the gateway to 21st-century Republicanism; but like Moses, he can see but not enter the promised land. To make this election transformative, we need someone who exemplifies the future of the party…and the vice presidency is one good way to highlight such a person.

A little free association ideas: Suzanna Gratia Hupp, Kurt Russell, Janice Rogers Brown. Of course, my choices tend more towards the Libertarian side of the conservative movement, but they’re all well-spoken with a strong philosophy. Surprising choices, but not inappropriate. Outside the box.

I’d second his non-recommendation of General Petraeus, and would take Condoleezza Rice off of the table for similar reasons, even though I’d love to see her as president. Bobby Jindal is being floated, too, but I think he needs to be off the table as well—Louisiana needs him right where he is.