Via Jonathan Martin, the Politico's Ken Vogel reports:

With speculation mounting that John McCain may be close to choosing his running mate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Wednesday went public with his recommendations for the GOP vice presidential nominee.

First choice: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. Runner-up: Alasaka Gov. Sarah Palin.

"What I'm afraid of is that if Sen. McCain picks one more relatively boring, normal, mainstream Republican white guy ... he just makes the ticket seem boring compared to the level of energy and drive and excitement that (Democrat Barack) Obama has," warned Gingrich, himself a silver-haired, middle-aged white politician out of central casting.

Gingrich has been pushing Jindal for a while now, while fellow conservative Bill Kristol has been on board the Palin wagon. Jindal's qualifications are well known and the only thing that might keep him from the VP spot is his relative youth. Palin on the other hand is not as well known and her credentials for the spot are more difficult to gauge. The question is whether the pundits would even be talking about her were she a man. Probably not. The GOP needs to be careful picking a woman or a minority just because they are a woman or a minority.