U.S. Sen. Richard Burr got two veep points and lost one.

First, the North Carolina Republican gave a speech for likely Republican presidential nominee John McCain at the Louisiana state convention.

"John is consistent and John McCain is fair," Burr said. "John McCain is stubborn, John McCain is real. You know just where you stand with him." 

Meantime, the Kansas City Star included him on a list of potential vice presidents, noting he "has some buzz going for him in the party, but is unknown outside."

A similar article in the Washington Post, however, failed to mention Burr. 

It focused instead on Haley Barbour, Charlie Crist, Mike Huckabee, Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Condoleezza Rice and Mark Sanford. 

In a speech at the Republican National Committee winter meeting Friday, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour refrained from endorsing any GOP presidential candidate but took some shots at the Democrats, especially John Edwards.

"I was worried that it was bad for us that Hillary seemed to be running in the center," said Barbour of Sen. Hillary Clinton. "And (Sen. Barack) Obama is to the left of that."

"Edwards," said Barbour, "is running to the left of Mao Zedong."

Edwards' fiery anti-corporate rhetoric apparently reminds Barbour of the late Chinese communist leader, Mario Recio reports.