The Republicans' presumptive nominee for president, John McCain, could make an audacious and unprecedented statement Friday.

He could electrify this already-historic presidential race by selecting a vice presidential nominee who possesses bona fide economic expertise rather than standard Washington dribble.

He could pick a person who would inject curiosity and excitement and instantly shift the focus from Barack Obama to St. Paul, Minn.

He could tap former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, mom, Princeton and Harvard graduate, and a woman who was ranked by Forbes as one of the 400-richest Americans in 2007.

Of course, bringing a political neophyte to the ticket carries clear risks. Would Whitman be able to handle the polished Washington gasbags, who are so adept at equivocation and rhetorical warfare? How would she respond to the incessant criticism and the microscopic vetting from the media?

Naturally, there would be immediate discussion surrounding the urgent issue of Whitman's wealth. Someone may need to investigate how many homes she owns. But then again, every candidate has inadequacies. There are ones far worse than being a self-made billionaire and owner of the American dream.

McCain has been hammered — often quite rightly — on his grasp of economic issues. It began during the Republican primaries when Mitt Romney leveled numerous sharp blows. (Whitman was co-chair of Romney's campaign exploratory committee.)

Yet if Democratic candidate Joe Biden took on Whitman in the VP debates, he would be up against someone who actually has created a job. When Barack Obama would relive his accomplishments as an optimistic organizer on the South Side of Chicago, Americans would know Whitman's real-life accomplishments dwarf those.

Whitman, as head of eBay, oversaw the expansion of a company with $4 million in annual revenue and 30 employees to one with $7.6 billion and 15,000 workers. Those are employees with health care, pensions and good salaries — the things that matter in the debate over the economy.

Whitman, as a Silicon Valley success story, would be a far more historic pick than the names being mentioned, people such as Joe Lieberman (who's about as liberal and unpopular in conservative circles as Obama), Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (a likable guy who would bring little in the political sense) and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (whose critical words regarding McCain certainly would be used to discredit the Republican nominee).

Americans are craving change, we're told. Polls show that this eagerness is fed, in part, by a loathing for Washington insiders and politicians. The pick of a novice would alleviate that pressure and infuse the Republican ticket with a mix of real-world and Washington experience.

Whitman, moreover, is, in the words of the Silicon Alley Insider, "charming and self-deprecating, but also confident." And she is a she.

An accomplished woman with a sunny disposition would be a welcome antidote to some of the curmudgeonly old-timerness of McCain.

Whitman could speak to women, as a mother and modern businesswoman, from knowledge. She would be an approachable figure in the eyes of many independent and moderate suburban moms, without whom you can't win the presidency.

Then there is always the chance that a portion of jilted Hillary Clinton voters would be seduced to the Dark Side by a Whitman candidacy.

During the interviews with Rick Warren, McCain was asked whose advice he could not live without. McCain picked Whitman as one such person. "In these economically challenging times," he said, "we need to call on people with wisdom and background, like Meg Whitman."

McCain should follow his own advice.

David Harsanyi is a columnist at The Denver Post and the author of "Nanny State." Visit his Web site at www.DavidHarsanyi.com. To find out more about David Harsanyi and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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