But didn't she just rule herself out? "Whoever it is that he chooses to bring in as his V.P., it will be a highly competent person who could step in at a moment's notice and assume the responsibilities of the White House."

That was to rule out Ron Wyden, who is rumored to be on Romney's short list.

Meanwhile, the feared IRS is now itself being audited for mismanagement and fraud.

http://www.wthr.com/story/18936653/irs-hit-with-audit-for-mismanagement-and-fraud

Amusingly ironic.

I was about to post the exact same comment as Cary. Romney can't really be vetting her, can he? That'd be crazy.

This could be good...Tina Fey can do Her too!

I'm sure I'll be wrong, but even Romney can't be that foolish.

Among the republicans out there the cream of the crop in terms of potential to do the job if something happens to Romney as President is the former Ambassador to China
and former Utah governor John Huntsman.

Given that Romney is LDS, Huntsman ain't gonna' happen.

Mitch Daniels from Indiana is the other potentially capable / competent choice for a Veep for Romney.

The woman governor from South Carolina, who's name I can't remember, and Jindal, the Governor of Louisiana, are probbaly the # 1 and # 2, in either order, potentials right know. The problem for Romney is that both "help" a Romney ticket in places where he doesn't actually need general election help - in the South and among the right wing base.

Depending upon her health, Kaye Bailey Hutchinson, from Texas, who is walking away from a Senate seat, is another "possible".

Such fun speculation.

OK she wouldn't be my choice for VP spot. But.... She was a federal tax attorney and can address the whole Obamacare-penalty-is -a-tax issue. I just want a complete ticket that will defeat Obama/Biden this Nov!!!!

Nonny, you've pretty much called it. Christie in NJ doesn't want the job, and Nikki Haley fought too hard for the governor's job in South Carolina to give it up right now. Bobby Jindal is too busy impersonating some mutant mashup of Huey Long and Bill Clements to risk losing everything if Romney gets stomped. And I openly laugh at any speculation of Rick Perry getting the nod: I may fervently disagree with Romney on many things, but I'll be the first to point out that he's not suicidally dumb, and Perry would be one of the most ragingly arrogant and dopy VPs seen in the Capitol this side of Spiro Agnew. Even Sarah Palin would be a step up, and lower than that I can't get.

(These days, considering where I live, I preface all discussions on local or national politics with a statement that, before we start going after individuals, we each have to say something good about the person we're going to take down. "S/he's biodegradable" doesn't count. That's why, before I go off on a tear on how Rick Perry manages to make former Texas governor Phil Sheridan look good, I note that at least he was lieutenant governor of Texas for a while. After Sheridan's depredations during Reconstruction, the Texas state constitution takes all of the power from the governor and gives it to the lieutenant governor, leaving the governor with little other than the ability to introduce legislation, veto legislation, and bounce around like an ostrich with a Roman candle up its butt. As opposed to W, whose sole reason for becoming governor was to pretend he was a leader before running for President, Perry at least had to deal with daily operations on the state level, and he did his job reasonably well. Now if some of the maroons currently running to replace David Dewhurst could understand this...)

Anyway. I've been commiscerating with quite a few Republican friends over the last few months, as they've looked upon the current election with fear and loathing. Even a few who lean toward the Tea Party (and we remain friends solely by staying off the subject, much the way Hunter S. Thompson and Richard Nixon could talk on a friendly basis if all they talked about was football) express depression at how underwhelming Romney is. I just look at them and tell them "And now you know how I felt about Kerry, and Gore, and Dukakis, and Mondale, and McGovern..." The real punchline is when I tell them "Yes, and with Obama, Clinton, and Carter, too."

Why doesn't Romney get Dick Cheney to vet the potential VPs? Wouldn't take long.

I doubt he'll pick anyone too exciting.

I forget Bachman was an attorney. She comes off as so dull, but I guess it doesn't take too many brains to be an attorney. After all, I'm one. :-)

Of all the adjectives...to describe Bachman as "dull" when "bark at the moon crazy" and "dumber than a bag of dumbasses" were still available...

Have you heard the woman speak? Dull it's not!

3 to 1 odds it is Rob Portland or Marco Rubio. Both are high population swing states.

Both parties surely understand by now that two white guys on the ticket ain't gonna cut it any longer. Romney's VP choice has to be a woman or a man of color, and it has to be someone with appeal to swing voters - which rules out Bachmann and the rest of the Tea Party right. Romney would no doubt love to please those people with his VP pick the way McCain did with Palin, but as that campaign demonstrated, Romney can't afford to do that. He's already got that group's votes, and he's going to have to do without their enthusiasm.

From an electability standpoint, I think Romney's two best choices, if either of them will agree to run with him (and that's a big if), are Condoleeza Rice and Olympia Snowe. Both are solidly conservative but are widely perceived as thoughtful, reasonable people, and therefore they have crossover appeal. Of course the right-wing blogosphere and Fox News/talk-radio mafia would go ballistic (especially over Snowe), but Romney is going to have to piss those people off sooner or later if he really wants to win. The question is, does he have the guts to do so? His response to the immigration ruling, among other issues, suggests the answer is no.

3 to 1 odds it is Rob Portland or Marco Rubio. Both are high population swing states.

Posted by Brian | July 3, 2012 9:59 PM

These posts keep cracking me up. You can bet as much money as you want over on intrade.com. As of right now Portman has a 25% chance and Rubio about 13%. Go ahead an bet Brian, you don't need us and you'll get better odds than you offered.

Rubio is toast because Obama stole his immigration proposal. Romney reportedly didn't even vet him for the job until someone raised a stink about it in the media, thus forcing him to make a show of doing so. Scratch him off the list.

Wouldn't Condi just be a reminder of the Bush administration? You know, the two-term Republican administration that ended in 2008 and is never, ever mentioned by Republican candidates?

The one and only thing worth remembering about Condoleeza Rice is that while dead, bloated bodies were floating in the flood waters of New Orleans, Condi was seen shopping for expensive, designer high heels in NYC. No concern, empathy, or compassion whatsoever.

On second thought, she'd be perfect as the VP running mate for Romney.

I am disappointed that it can't be Christie. . .but it would be an unbalanced ticket. He will probably run at the top of the ticket in 2016 or 2020 anyway.

There was rumbling about Portman. Yawn. I can only list those I DO NOT want on the ticket: Bachman, Rice, Perry, Palin. I wish there was a deeper bench.

First off: Semi-cynic ... YOU classify Olympia Snowe is as much a conservative as Obama is a conservative, which is to say, not at all. She doesn't have a CLUE what a conservative is, she has been a reliable, vote-for-whatever-the-democrats-want senator for far too long; or maybe that's a conservative in your dictionary.

Second, Rice has already said she's not interested. It will either be Jindal or Rubio, anyone else will not appeal to the minority voters.

Third, while both Romney and Obama don't appear to be in danger of passing away from a natural cause, we look at the VP if an unnatural cause comes about. So here we are talking about potential republican VP candidates; all the time forgetting about the boob who presently occupies that office; just about anyone (including Palin) is better than foot-in-the-mouth Biden. Biden is worse than even Quayle.

Next in line would be speaker of the house. Collective sigh of relief that Pelosi is no longer Speaker!!!

Yes, N.O., Olympia Snowe is a conservative. She may seem liberal by comparison to most other Republican senators, who are radical right-wing extremists. But her voting record is objectively to the right of every sitting Senate Democrat (including Wyden). That makes her a conservative in my book.

But I agree that Jindal is a real possibility. He may be Romney's least-bad option among those who are actually willing to run with him.

Chris Christie, unbalanced ticket.

Perfect.