The day after the April 22nd primaries left us, like many other Pennsylvanians, feeling like cast off one-night-stands, watching the news vans drive off and the reporters cast their collective gaze to the hotter contest down the Appalachian chain.

But never fear! Those of you, who like us, are itching with the desire to return to the political spotlight can rejoice: with Barack Obama veepstakes fever flushing across the country, Pennsylvania returns to the spotlight thanks to Governor Ed Rendell’s unexpected placement on the VP short list.

Even though Rendell essentially ruled himself out on June 5, when he told Fox News pundit Neil Cavuto that “I would be a terrible number two,” and also that he was scratching himself off that list, the chatter continues. In a New Republic post this week, Buzz Bissinger makes the case for Rendell’s strengths as Obama’s running mate, then bemoans that Rendell’s un-PC bluntness and occasional crassness render him entirely unelectable.

Seems that MSNBC pundit Chris Matthews disagrees with Bissinger’s take. In his, er, thoughtful analysis of Rendell’s potential in the VP slot, he imagines the Obama/Rendell pairing as a delicious ham and rye sandwich. We have a hard time wrapping our heads around that metaphor, but think that if we have to roll with it, he should rephrase it as the next executive branch—wiz wit.

Image courtesy of the Governor's Office of Press and Communications