Very quietly and very delicately the Obama and Clinton campaigns have begun back channel communications to find a common ground that can break the stalemate over Florida and Michigan.

Discussions are in very early stages with more expected over the weekend. The players at the national and state parties (as well as in the state governments) understand that any fix will have to be acceptable to both candidates.

The governors, lawmakers and political community in both states (and nationally) are working on various possible fixes, but this is an attempt BY THE CAMPAIGNS to stakeout what both would find acceptable, in order to give the states a target to work toward.

According to insiders the basic requirements of both campaigns could be met with “firehouse primaries in both states, with mail-in ballots for those who can’t make it.”

A “firehouse primary” involves fewer voting places at regional locations. Such an scenario would dramatically reduce costs.
A “Do-Over” of Florida’s primary would cost 20 million dollars, that is considered prohibitive.

Though Michigan’s nominating contests are called caucuses, as a matter of practice it is a ballot like a primary not a caucus like the meetings that take place in Iowa or Texas.

Insiders estimate that “fire house primaries in both states, with mail-in ballots for those who can’t make it” would cost about $10 million dollars for both states. Both campaigns could easily raise the money and keep it separate from regular campaign coffers.

The state political parties may also raise the money for party building. The national parties could also kick in money for party building as well. This would mean that the new votes would be paid for by the parties and the campaigns, not taxpayers.

Both campaigns agree it is unacceptable to NOT seat the Fla and Michigan delegates, recognizing that they are too influential in the general election and can’t be disenfranchised.

EXCLUSIVE:

After going over the top in the delegate count, John McCain will visit the White House to appear with POTUS Wednesday then will go to Republican National Committee Headquarters to speak to staffers about the gen election strategy.

FOX NEWS HAS LEARNED that in New Orleans on Friday John McCain makes a major speech to the influential and little known Council for National Policy. The CNP is an umbrella organization of influential social and religious conservative groups.

The CNP members are not made public, meetings are not open to non-members, and they seldom even make public where and when their meetings occur.

McCain’s speech and subsequent Q&A will be videoed and publicized.

The group is filled with organizations and individuals who have been among McCain’s toughest conservative critics.

Until he clinches the nomination John McCain’s campaign can’t formally discuss co-opting the Republican National Committee into his general election plan

Look for that to change tonight and the party takeover to begin immediately.

If McCain goes over the top the campaign will move as soon as tomorrow to refocus the RNC on McCain’s candidacy. There is no shortage of emphasis on, or rather against, the democrats – the GOP national party has mountains of opposition research at the ready. The BIGGER task is getting the RNC synched up with McCain.

Unifying conservatives and the GOP is different from taking over the administration of the party apparatus.

The McCain camp will want his people in key positions. The McCainiacs will want to tailor and manage the party message to fit and compliment the candidate’s style and substance.

That is step one. Its starts Wednesday, assuming McCain clinches Tuesday with Oh, TX, VT and RI.

Any talk of McCain making an early VP pick is wrong. While the senator and insiders are happy to discuss prospects and ruminate aloud, all that has been done is to have one aide research the selection process other candidates have used. Nothing more.

They have not even begun seriously considering who will head the search team. They have not begun compiling the long and short lists. They have not discussed who will run the vetting process.

They have months to think it through and will unveil the selection only at the most opportune time possible.

The running mate is a major ace in the hole for presidential candidates and they never want to play them too soon.

The March 4th primaries could put McCain over the top for the GOP nomination and Huckabee officially in second place for the 2008 GOP race.

These are HISTORIC achievements that to many seemed unimaginable last year. This VLOG and the FNC political unit however never once wrote off McCain last year when others did.

And while Huckabee went virtually unnoticed until last years Ames strawpoll, we identified him in January of 2007 as the darkhorse most likely to surprise.

Now McCain has 1014 delegates. He needs 177 to reach the needed 1191.

Huckabee has won 257 delegates. He needs 24 to best Mitt Romney who won 280.

McCain is expected to take VT and RI outright but neither Texas nor Ohio are winner take all – they are awarded proportionally by state senate and congressional district respectively. If Huckabee wins any combination of 8 Texas state senate or Ohio congressional districts he will win 24 delegates and thus go ahead of Romney. Undisputed 2nd place.

Huckabee will make no definitive statements Tuesday night about the future of his campaign. But look for news on Thursday when he returns to Little Rock. For weeks the Huckabee campaign has been doing an unofficial victory lap. The governor and his staff are delighted by his success and acknowledged status as a conservative leader who will now be well positioned to run again in the future.

Camp Huck is steering people away from veep speculation. The governor doesn’t expect an offer and insiders say if it came he should reject it. They think Huckabee’s future prospects are stronger making his own way rather than playing #2 to McCain.

McCain must first co-opt the RNC, and its a long complex process to take over the sprawling Bush admin national party apparatus. They are for now merely studying how past VP’s have been chosen and discussing how to come up with their own process.

Republicans all over the country are emailing and calling the campaign with their runningmate advice. While Huckabee would have us believe he is disinterested for now, that has never been the case for Mitt Romney.

Though Romney and McCain fought tooth and nail and grew legitimately angry with one another for exaggerated charges and counter charges throughout their year long battle, alot of republican grey beards think they make a good team on paper…..