On this day in 2008, John McCain was three months away from his vice presidential choice.

Sarah Palin, at this point, was a blip on the radar. She was a longshot candidate that didn't hold much weight over Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, then-Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson or even former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney—who is now in the midst of picking his own running mate.

As speculation began to ramp up in early June, Jack Kelly of Real Clear Politics took a shot at it. Pick Sarah Palin, he told John McCain.

There is one potential running mate who has virtually no down side. Those conservatives who've heard of her were delighted to learn that McCain advance man Arthur Culvahouse was in Alaska recently, because they surmised he could only be there to discuss the vice presidential nomination with Gov. Sarah Palin.

At 44, Sarah Louise Heath Palin is both the youngest and the first female governor in Alaska's relatively brief history as a state. She's also the most popular governor in America, with an approval rating that has bounced around 90 percent.

Boy, did things change in the next five months. McCain went with Palin, and it proved to be at least part of his undoing. It's relatively common history now: Palin rallied the base but divided the rest of voters, and Obama walloped to a landslide electoral victory.

Now Romney gets his shot, and speculation is already starting to ramp up. Will he play it safe? Will he also go for a splashy but risky, pick?