A caller on an Orlando talk radio this afternoon said that the Everglades conservation purchase [1] was a quid pro quo between McCain and FL Gov. Charlie Crist.

According to the caller, who said he is related to principals in the deal and has known about it since January, McCain contacted Crist and told him he needed to do "something big" if he wanted to be considered for the VP spot.

That's about as unsubstantiated as it gets, but it wouldn't surprise me. At least Crist did something beneficial for the State of Florida. There was some discussion, however, that it was also a bail out for the sugar company [2], which is in a financial squeeze and facing some costly environmental issues.