The first rumble came Friday from CNN. Today Mark Halperin sends up a flare, leading Ben Smith to admit he’s hearing the same thing. As noted last week, it’s a no-brainer — but then, so was the House Republican oil protest and we were all shocked when they actually went and did that. Is the GOP getting a clue?

Note to Jindal: Don’t let the pressure get to you if you’re picked. After all, the way things are going, you might be the only one there. Tangentially related exit question: Maverick’s down 11 points among women in the new Lifetime poll. Does that give conservative America’s other favorite up-and-coming governor a boost on the VP shortlist?

Update: Should have blockquoted this bit from the Lifetime poll earlier:

Obama would benefit twice as much as McCain from offering the second slot to a woman (29% more likely to support Obama if he picks a woman vs. 15% who would be more likely to support McCain). Selecting a woman #2 would result in a net negative for McCain. While 15% said they would be more likely to support McCain if he picked a woman, 20% said they would be less likely to pick him if a woman were on his ticket.