As the race for the White House goes on (and on, and on), so, seemingly, does the list of potential running mates for Republican candidate John McCain. Today's Wall Street Journal offers highlights one unconventional choice for the Arizona senator: ex-H.P. chief Carly Fiorina.

The story adds Fiorina to litany of potential veeps—an "ever-growing short list," mind you, as the Journal points out. It also mentions former eBay CEO Meg Whitman and Cisco boss John Chambers as strong McCain backers. (Both have also been mentioned as veep prospects, though much less so than Fiorina.)

Could it happen? Politically speaking, Fiorina would give McCain economic credibility—an issue he admits isn't one of his best. She'd also provide a gender balance in the case that Hillary Clinton nabs the Democratic nomination or Barack Obama chooses a woman as his running mate.

But what it would mean for McCain's technology policies is unclear. Fiorina is a business executive, not a techie. (The same essentially goes for Whitman and Chambers.) But her understanding of how technology can impact everything from business efficiency to society could help shape a clearer business and economic strategy for McCain.

But as the WSJ piece mentions, Fiorina is talking tech: "Last week, the campaign visited struggling communities and often proposed technology-based solutions; bringing Internet access to rural Kentucky, for example, or retraining laid-off steel workers in Ohio for information-technology jobs."

(And maybe a Vice President Fiorina could help clean up the White House's ongoing tech mess.)

Picking Fiorina would be a departure from the conventional wisdom of the veepstakes. But in an election year trumpeting change and new beginnings, she might be a fitting pick.

If not, expect to see plenty of her, as well as Whitman and Chambers. "These people have done so much for America," McCain said during a speech in Washington. "I'm going to ask them to serve."

President Bush lined his cabinet with several proven business leaders; McCain could easily do the same. So why not bring some tech-savvy executives into the mix?