Possible reasons Pawlenty came up short

1 In the end, McCain couldn't resist the chance to name a woman and make voting for his ticket an opportunity to make history, too.

2 In appearances widely termed "auditions" in recent weeks, Pawlenty was solid but didn't dazzle.

3 Palin more than matched Pawlenty's appeal as a Washington outsider. You can't get farther outside the Beltway than Alaska.

4 Pawlenty's blue-collar cultural credentials got him to the finals, but Palin's personal and family links to fishing, hunting, hockey and the military took the prize.

5 McCain felt Palin was the best person for the job.