10 Left-Field Names as Romney Seeks Right VP
If this week’s news that Mitt Romney is waiting until after the Olympic Games to announce his vice presidential pick is correct, it would be poignant timing indeed for the man who’s made his chairmanship of the Salt Lake City Games part of his business-acumen platform.
And with all of the speculation buildup — and anxiety in many corners over whether Romney’s pick will buoy or bore the GOP — the eventual pick might as well be stepping up to the podium to pick up the veepstakes medal.
The vice president may or may not have been chosen, but two days ago the Romney camp named a director of operations and a communications director for the mystery veep hopeful. The office is being stocked and the open chair is just waiting for that perfect break in the news cycle to drop the balloons, send pundits into a tizzy, and maybe send extra-jazzed delegates to Tampa.
The Romney campaign also got a bit of free water-testing when the Drudge Report headlined the possibility of Condoleezza Rice being added to the ticket, igniting a firestorm of protest from many on the right. If they leaked enough names, that could actually take care of any vetting worries one by one.
We know the names that are generally agreed to be on the top of the list right now: Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Also in the running appears to be Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, whose poor response to Obama’s 2009 congressional address is mainly just remembered by policy nerds like yours truly by this point, and who went to Ohio yesterday to hold a “repeal and replace” rally for Romney. And let’s not forget Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).
Imagine for a moment, though, that Romney had a wild streak and unveiled a running mate from left field, someone who had been vetted without a single leak to the media, someone so off the radar that the media hadn’t even thought to ask about this person as a nominee — but someone who had something to bring to the ticket.
J.C. Watts
I mentioned the former chairman of the House Republican Conference on a radio show this week, and the response was as if the heavens opened and choirs sang. Before Allen West and Tim Scott, this former Oklahoma congressman was paving the way for black Republicans on the Hill post-Reconstruction, asking famously in the title of his 2002 book “What Color is a Conservative?” Watts strikes a strong balance between rejecting identity politics while chiding his party for not doing enough outreach to minority communities. A Baptist minister, he would excite conservative Christians. Since 2003, he’s run J.C. Watts Companies, lobbying for businesses like John Deere and serving on the boards of other companies such as Clear Channel. You’d get the Washington acumen and the grass-roots excitement with Watts, with a double-businessman ticket.
John Bolton
This isn’t so far from left field, as the former ambassador to the United Nations flirted with a presidential run himself — and endorsed Romney after deciding against his own run. The timing is excellent to bring in this sage of foreign policy, given the post-Arab Spring crises, rapidly escalating Iranian nuclear program, and failed Russian reset — all left to fester under the Obama administration. While Bolton would fill the bill of balancing out the Romney ticket — bringing both Washington know-how and international brilliance — voters unfortunately have put the world falling down around their ears rather low on the list. But the straight-talking ambassador does have a solid fan base and would wipe the floor with either President Obama or Vice President Biden in a debate.
Gale Norton
The conventional wisdom this go-round is that the well is essentially poisoned for women candidates. But in the year of Keystone XL, there’s a candidate who could seriously get in the craw of environmentalists. George W. Bush’s former Interior secretary, the first woman to hold that position, also has the distinction of surviving Eric Holder: in 2009, the Department of Justice investigated Norton’s past at Royal Dutch Shell in conjunction with leases later awarded to the company, but closed the investigation the following year without pressing charges. Big Oil-wise in terms of Democratic attacks, she’d be the female Cheney. But it would be helpful to send her out on the trail to tear into Obama’s “all of the above” energy strategy, the Solyndra adventure, Keystone, and more.
Donald Rumsfeld
Perhaps it was just a bit of wishful thinking after seeing the former secretary of Defense disassemble the Law of the Sea Treaty in front of John Kerry last month. But the 80 year old who served under both presidents Ford and Bush 43 would bring a wealth of worldly wisdom to the ticket, as well as his signature wit. And there’s really nothing else a hungry DNC could dig out from his past, so they’d simply attack him as a warmongering Bushite. Just imagine Rummy facing off with Joe Biden in the vice presidential debate. That could possibly be the best debate ever. Ever.
“Republicans have talked about wanting to pull a military superstar like David Petraeus onto a ticket”
Military superstar? Petraeus? Are you trying to make me lose my lunch?
Obama and the CIA under Petraeus have joined sides with the MB and AlQ and the “Rebels” in a war of extermination against Christians.
“Christians are being systematically targeted for genocide in Syria according to Vatican and other sources with contacts on the ground among the besieged Christian community. According to reports by the Vatican’s Fides News Agency collected by the Centre for the Study of Interventionism, the US-backed Free Syrian Army rebels and ever more radical spin-off factions are sacking Christian churches, shooting Christians dead in the street, broadcasting ultimatums that all Christians must be cleansed from the rebel-held villages, and even shooting priests.”
http://www.aina.org/news/20120615125537.htm
@ FeralCat….Exterminating Christians doesn’t generate a single response in two days of posting on PJ Media. Why am I not surprised?
P-4 is too closely associated with two failed wars, lying about his “kill numbers” in Afghanistan and now he’s heading up the CIA with a longstanding reputation for bungling. Actually, there’s a lot that would fall out of his closet about his personal life, and he likes thinking he’s a hero.
Fred Thompson should be the Presidential Candidate. Not McCain or Romney.
The Great Communicator II.
President Reverse-Mortgage? Puh-leeze. Or maybe that’s what you thought of the original Great Communicator… a pitchman for General Electric? Yeah, that’s what we need, another smooth talker. Lull us to sleep. Watch your wallet.
I have an offer for General Petreus. I’ll GIVE him one of my balls. Then I’d still have two, and he would have one. He is a politicking coward who cares only about his pension and cashing in on his rank after he retires. The suicidal, defeatist Rules of Engagement he oversees are the unequivocal proof of that. He should resign in disgrace – yesterday, and then present himself to each and every family of our war dead and BEG their forgiveness for failing in his duty as their son or daughter’s commanding officer.
AMEN !
thank you Ann
“Touch Down”! It is both outrageous and terrifying that for his betrayal he is rewarded the head of C.I.A.?? No honor, no loyalty. Just like the vivid mental image one gets of Agent Brian Terry firing bean bags at Mexican drug cartel members armed with assault weapons provided by our D.O.J. How many more have to die before we get some real leaders who care about this country and all those who defend her?
“I condemn the action of the individual in the United States who burned a copy of the Holy Qur’an. That action was hateful. It was intolerant, and it was extremely disrespectful. I condemn the actions of a small number of individuals who have been extremely disrespectful to the Holy Qur’an. Together with our Afghan partners [when they are not too busy shooting our troops in the back and raping little girls and little boys], we must secure and serve [by paying lots of bribes and respecting the koran] the people of Afghanistan [the hell with the American people and their crappy outdated Constitution].”
- from David “In: Holy Qur’an, Out: First Amendment and his sworn oath to the United States Constitution” Petraeus
BTW, MoveOn dot org started liking Petraeus a whole lot better after Petreaus blamed Israel in his 56 page staff report to congress for the “troubles” in the Middle East.
BTW 2, if the polls look like Obama is in big trouble and Hillary turns him down to replace Biden, don’t be shocked if Petraeus becomes his running mate.
Don Rumsfeld? Really? Do we really want to spend the campaign season re-litigating the Iraq war and defending Bush? Almost none of these names bring anything to the table.
I for one would love to see Rumsfeld “relitigate” the Bush years, especially in debate with Joe Biden. Then I’d love to see him follow in the steps of Dick Cheney as a hands-on veep, restoring America to its position as unreachable first as a world superpower, lefties dragged along kicking and screaming. Man, the press conferences alone would be worth the price of admission.
“Unreachable first superpower”? What were you smoking the last decade? Oh, yeah, there’s still a few countries we haven’t bombed yet, we still got a few billions in the bank, right? Right??
As much as I love Rummy, and I agree the debate would be must see TV, I think putting him on the ticket would seal a win for Obummer. And that would be an unmitigated disaster for the country.
From PJM’s own Andrew McCarthy -
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/229502/petraeuss-israel-problem/andrew-c-mccarthy#
“Boot’s attack on West is an effort to defend a surpassingly foolish statement in which Gen. David Petraeus cast Israel as the source of all America’s woes in the Middle East. To his great discredit, the general — in a Clintonesque fashion which, as we shall see, is probably not a coincidence — simultaneously denied making the statement, grudgingly admitted making it while minimizing its significance, and accused West and others of misrepresenting his views. In fact, the general’s critics quoted his words at length, placed them in unmistakable context, and drew from them the same commonsense conclusion drawn by Israel’s gleeful critics — for whom Petraeus is the hero of the moment.”
J.C Watts, Bolton and West would be my favorites. The rest are not worthy of the position of VP. Petraeus said he voted for Obama, makes him a pretty pitiful judge of character (fits right in with the back stabbing Colin Powell), Jon Kyl has not lifted a finger to help Sheriff Joe Arpaio expose this country and alert the world that we have a usurper in the most powerful office in the world. Rumsfeld would be a guarantee for another 4 years for Obama. Issa too many investigations and can’t even get a Fast and Furious conviction. Gregg would reach across the isle and we don’t need that mutated virus spreading into the Republican party. Mullen would be your classic RINO.
I like Bolton as Secretary of State.
Ditto that.
Triple that.
Fourple thar
My bad. I like spelling clowns better than spelling Nazis.
Fipple that. And Xipple too. Zepple, Opple, Niepple and Tepple too.
We must have Bolton as SoS. I like Rep. Allen West for V.P. He knows what the MB is up to and isn’t afraid to say it.
I’ve always liked Bolton and West but folks really should take note that Bolton is a long time member of the Council on Foreign Relations (As is Hillary) and I never got past West voting for and defending his Yay on the NDAA (indefinite detention) law. Don’t think he sold out, but he may have been sold a bill of goods by the establishment Republicans. He is most certainly correct and courageous in his statement about all the communists in congress so I give him big points for that and we’re going to need someone who can tell it like it is.
John Bolton is really, really smart. He would be a great president or VP. Mitt would not have him as VP because he would be upstaged by him. I like Dana Perino. She is a pretty woman, articulate, smart and knows the goings on in the White House. Rumsfeld and Chaney are heroes and history will show that this is so.
Petraeus said that if Pastor Jones burned even his own personal bought and paid for copy of the Koran, or what Petraeus, an absolute disgrace to the uniform, to his oath of office to the United States Constitution and to America if ever there was one, calls ‘The Holy Qur’an”, and upset Muslims, even on the other side of the planet, killed or hurt any American troops it would be the fault of Pastor Jones.
If a real American General, an American General with honor, like General George S. Patton, could come back from the grave, he would slap Petraeus worse than he slapped that Private, and drop kick him into Kingdom come. Somewhere up beyond the Pearly Gates, George Patton is looking down and saying, “The building formally known as the Pentagon has become a G-d damned whore house of servicing Muslims. The Perfumed Pimps there masquerading as Generals have no regard for America and it’s Constitution or there own troops and they are all out sons-of-bitches, traitors, and chronic dhimmis!”
LOL! Well done.
Yep! How many gallows would need to be erected on the DC Mall if each traitor in our government would be identified and hung simultaneously?
slow news day isn’t it.
Anything is possible, but if there is one thing we can be highly confident about it is that Romney is going to pick a milquetoast, bland, white male running mate with the sole criteria of trying to not get the msm up in arms. Which of course, will be impossible, because whoever it is, he will immediately be demonized as a crooked, racist, America-hating, mean-spirited tool of the the Koch brothers.
You can take that to the bank.
I’m getting fed up with the “white male = milquetoast, bland” crap.
In fact I’ve been fed up with it.
But I’ve been quiet about it. Didn’t want to “offend” anyone.
No more.
You can take your milquetoast bland white male comment and shove it where the sun don’t shine.
White men are responsible for some of the greatest achievements in the history of the world. We fight for others, we support others, we care for others, and all we get is scorn heaped upon us.
Evil and injustice exist everywhere, among every race and every gender, and among rich and poor.
Good and justice also exist everywhere, among every race and every gender, and among rich and poor.
It is high time people started being judged by their character, not their class, race, or gender.
The demonization of males in general, and white males in particular has got to stop, and I pledge to start today to speak truth to weasily, pathetic, lazy, no-honor bigots who say otherwise.
Welcome to the club. Everyday, more and more White European Christian Males ares speaking up in the face of demonization and villification, even though it only brings more demonization and villification.
This is a good thing.
Amen, Fortibus85. Amen.
“Milquetoast bland” refers to someone with no fire in the belly. “All hat and no cattle,” if you will. “Safe,” “normal,” and in reality, nothing at all.
Yahweh, David Petraeus
Would never okay the way you do your thing
Ding ding ding, ding, ding, ding
And you’ll get yours, David Petraeus
Coddlin’ and even sidin’ with that Islam stuff like you do
Boo hoo hoo, boo hoo hoo
Where have you gone, General George S. Patton?
Our nation turns its longing eyes to you
What’s that you say, David Petraeus?
You have banished ‘ol Blood and Guts far away
Hey hey hey, hey hey hey
Coo coo ca-choo, Mr. Pentagon
Mohammad appreciates you more than you will know
Woo woo woo, woo woo woo
Allah uses you, yes, Mr. Pentagon
He may grant some short reprieve to those infidels who humanity betray
Hey hey hey, hey hey hey
Yep, the little guy could be A-Kisser-in-Chief.
I think Bolton would be a great pick because a Romney administration will need some serious muscle in international affairs to start to repair the damage wrought by the Obama administration.
I must confess, though, to having had Palin/Bolton as my dream ticket.
Palin is wonderful. The MSM portrays her as a dingbat but I,d put her up against any, I mean any, news person any day. The MSM and the DemocRATS should worry about a 2016 run for president. She shines when giving a speech or interviews on TV. She excites conservatives and they are more of us than they are of them. She is no dummy and gets smarter daily. Pray for Romney and the defeat of Obummer.
I still think Bobby Jindal would be the best pick. He’s smart, he’s got great experience being probably the most successful governor Louisiana ever had, and in a state famous for corruption, he not only is incredibly honest, but well liked. I couldn’t think of a better person for vice president. And, at this stage of the game, I doubt he’s even being seriously considered. Pity, because he’s an able fellow, a tough conservative, and he’d bring a lot to the ticket.
I think he ruined his chances with that Republican Response to the State of the Union speech.
Are people STILL talking about that speech. What was that, like three years ago? It was ONE speech. You’d think he dissected and ate live babies the way I hear people carry on about what a disaster it was. No one remembers it or cares.
Just to refresh my memory, I searched it and hit an old MSNBC article about it. I read David Brooks, Juan Williams and some professor schlub ranting about what a joke it was. Then the next graph quoted Rush Limbaugh praising it.
Even if I never heard the speech, judging by this one article, Bobby Jindal is definitely the guy I want standing next to Mitt. No doubt.
Correction: dissected should read vivisected. Remember, the babies were alive.
I certainly like Jindal and he is a fine governor and a great conservative.
I just think that his introduction to the national audience during that hokey speech wasnt a good career move.
First, as bad as Bobby Jindal’s response to the State of the Nation Speech was (I saw it, it was beyond terrible), it really shouldn’t hurt him. People never remember Bill Clinton’s speech at the 1988 Democratic Convention. I saw that speech too. When Clinton said “I have just one more thing to say” the audience erupted into the most honest burst of applause I’ve ever heard at a political convention.
As I say, Clinton’s disasterous speech was his first exposure to a national audience. It didn’t hurt him just four years later when he became President.
I do wonder about Jindal though. I have heard that some question his eligability. Jindal was born to non-American parents and although he was born in the United States, he was conceived in India. Before the vetting gets any further on Jindal I hope somebody who knows the Constitution better than I do has gone through this.
Jindal’s endorsement of creationism was too much for me.
Of course he did no such thing.
ID should be taught in science classrooms, just like String Theory and Dark Energy/Matter.
Sure it should. So should Xenu. Let kids assess the various theories and make an informed choice.
I followed the ID BS very closely for several years in the early 2000. Intelligent Design is nothing more than Young Earth Creationism (YEC) in disguise. It’s the “theory” that the entire universe is less than 10,000 years old – laughable and without a single shred of scientific evidence to back it up.
In the 90′s, the Discovery Institute, the main pusher of YECism, tried to get creationism taught in science classes in the public schools. The wrote a white paper called the Wedge Project. It described their stategy for doing so.
Then they suffered a humiliating series of defeats in court and creationism was thoroughly discredited. So they literally used find/replace to change every mention of “creationism” with “Intelligent Design” in their Wedge Project and continued on as if nothing happened.
A Republican judge in a famous case in 2004, Tammy Kitzmiller, et al. v. Dover Area School District, totally destroyed the case for Intelligent Design, accusing its proponents of outright lying. Its chief witness, Michael Behe, under oath, had to admit that there is at present no evidence for ID, and he knew of no scientific study in process or even under consideration that could provide such evidence, despite very generous grants available from the Discovery Institure for many years.
If Jindal or anyone other Republican or conservative politician, including Palin, one of my favorites, actually believes that ID should be taught in the science classes in public schools, that should be immediate disqualification for nation office, and I’m as conservative as anybody. Maybe in classes in Philosophy or Comparative Religion, but never in science classes.
Yep..lets leave that evolution thing in the science class because we all know the Nobody + Nothing = Everything math can be tested and verified. Besides, it just makes intuitive sense doesn’t it?
Puddle-to-people. Happens all the time.
No, you followed what its critics said.
Very few ID proponents are YEC. VERY few. Most are not even religious.
A pity you clowns cant get worked up over String Theory like that.
But alas…
The lack of strident opposition to String Theory being taught and discussed in Science Classrooms, including many of our finest institutes of higher learning, is hypocrisy beacon as regards your bigotry.
Haters gonna hate.
If you are going to use such anti-intellectual ghetto-talk, you shouldn’t try to participate in intelligent discussions.
Yes: Watts, Bolton, Rumsfeld and Thompson.
No: Norton, Issa, Paige, Mullen, Gregg, Kyl
“Darrell Issa”
Please! PLEASE!
How about Liz Cheney?
Awesome – that woman has balls and then some.
Any nominee who takes the focus off the guy at the head of the ticket for any time without really energizing the conservative base in return is not a good selection. That points to either a bland-but-strategic Rob Portman type or a not-bland-but strategic Marco Rubio type. Any ‘surprise’ selection who becomes the focus for the entire period between the RNC and DNC convention simply in a battle to define him or her to the public takes the focus off Romney’s economic attacks on Obama and off Obama’s economic failures. Not good in the current situation.
Picking a woman or black candidate will not peel off appreciable numbers of these committed blocks to Romney. None of the other candidates mentioned here will gain Romney much electoral votes. The ideal candidate should be able to deliver Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Rubio, as a Hispanic and Catholic, could resonate in these states
I disagree. A strong black conservative like Lt. Col. Allen West could be just the ticket. He would definitely peel off black votes and fire up the conservative base like none of the other names mentioned here ever would.
It would be interesting if he was picked (please, Mitt) and did not peel off large numbers of black votes. Blacks would be exposed as just takers and prove just how beholden they are to their Dem masters.
Listen to this guy’s speeches or interviews. He is the freaking real deal. Listen to any of his speeches (CPAC) or interviews (Savage, Levin). They will literally send thrills up your leg. I’d go to bat for this man, big-time.
Hey, let’s have some discussion of who Obama will select as his VP running mate this year. You know that Joe is too much of a liability and not some one Obama would want to replace him in 2016. Maybe, Kerry or some other black leftist or some commie tinkerbell. Who in Hollywood would Bam pick?
…well… as long as we are indulging our imaginations..
Why not Gov. Nikki Haley of SC? Northeasterner Romney with his rustbelt connections needs some shoring up in the South. Four of the last six presidents were Southern. Tennessean Fred Thompson would work as well. Rubio isn’t exactly Southern, but he’s close enough and would be my second choice. Jindal, Pawlenty, and Portman are probably tops on the list however, because they are the only ones that can make Romney look ‘dynamic’ by comparison.
I fear Romney will pick a VP like a bride picks a bridesmaid’s dress – something to take the shine off the competition – sort of like Obama picking Biden… who else could actually make Obama look smart?
How about an article on PJM (maybe it’s being written right now) on all the attacks on Michele Bachmann by the necrotics like McCain and Boehner and Flake in the Republican party?
Thanks to the Islamonaifs and potential Islamoinfiltrators GB was surrounded with as advisors,…Condi Rice, Grover Norquist, Gen. Petraeus…I’m sure there are more…the necrotics in the Republican party completely trashed Michele Bachmann the past couple days for her request of the State Department to look into Huma Abedin’s influence over Hillary Clinton when Huma’s mother, father (now deceased), and brother are part of the Muslim Brotherhood. All the protestations from our own guys about how this is McCarthyesque played right into the Islamoinfiltrator’s hands.
And why did the terrorist who just murdered the Israelis have a drivers license, real or forged, from Michigan? Is this just a strange coincidence that Dearbornistan is in Michigan? What were this guy’s whereabouts since Sweden received and then released him? It wouldn’t be so strange that he slipped back into our country for any sort of nefarious reason..we’ve had Hillary’s and Huma’s State Department allowing Islamic terrorist visits to the White House after all, and Obama and Janet allowing illegal Muslims through our southern and northern borders. The murderer could have used a Michigan license to implicate Americans. Or as an operations signal to all his brethren in Dearbornistan. It’s some anniversary for some inspirational Islamic martyrdom somewhere, isn’t it? Or in the next few days or weeks. It’s becoming quite the full Islamic anniversary calendar to be “celebrated” in that special Islamic way.
I’d been a big fan of Michelle Bachmann up until I started getting her fundraising emails whinging about her rich opponent. As a conservative/libertarian I celebrate success, I don’t fear it or whine about it. Its a good thing, how about attacking his ideas instead of his bank account Michelle?
“Whinging?
Uh, this is America, not Britain. It’s “whining”.
While J.C.Watts has been my pick from the beginning, if you really want something from left field then howza ’bout Joe Lieberman? He’s honest. He’s honorable. He’s a Patriot and team player. Lord knows he knows DC and where most of the bodies are buried. And miles more conservative that what we got now.
No. None of those. J.C. Watts?!?
Paul Ryan. There’s your best choice. He would tear Plugs Biden to shreds in the debates; his selection would excite the base in the Great Lakes region; and he would lend considerable credibility to Romney’s stated roll-back/reform agenda. Rubio would be my second choice, but Ryan has more experience and has laid more on the line, in terms of personal political risks. Ryan would be greatly missed in the House, but there are several solid conservatives who could fill his shoes (and, no, Boehner isn’t one of them).
How about Mark Sanford?
I want to see Andrew McCarthy as our next VP. If I’m disappointed in that, then I fully expect him to be our next Attorney General.
Andrew McCarthy — we need you.
Ms. Johnson let’s not forget J C Watts ALSO called out Jackson, Sharpton and the CBC on national television. As well as turning the CBC invite down.
He’d also won reelection 3 times as an Oklahoma Congressman by larger margins in each instance.
A REAL college (played for hard-as-nails Coach Barry Switzer) athlete winning back-to-back Orange Bowl goes at QB and played pro ball (CFL) as well.
You touched on his faith, autobio.
As per the book, he clearly spells out his color DOES NOT define him and the book was written AFTER he’d retired. Not using said book as a political stepping stone.
Watts is a smart businessman and would destroy Plugs Biden per VP debates.
“Any of the above” can be expected to run rings around Biden in a debate; that should be a given. But that’s not the issue
The main criteria needs to be whether voters can see that person as sitting in the big chair, or not. Thompson fills the bill but he may be seen as having too much celebrity. So does Rumsfeld but age and Bush baggage are negatives.
Issa would be pretty interesting but I think Romney will choose someone safe. Vanilla but competent.
Unfortunate selection of a head line given that the presumptive nominee already positioned himself in left field with respect to most of the party during the nominating process
Other than that, good article.
I would like to see an analysis of certain what ifs though. For instance, Issa goes on the ticket, then who replaces him in the house.
how about none of the above. Romney has a lot of problems with endorsements from the Bush family (Jeb endorsement – really? how is that a plus), Bush regime appaRATchiks, and the big Loser McCain. most of the above are reminders of another failed Bush family presidency that led to the election of the worst president in history and the completion of the dismantling of our country (and y’all thought elder Bush (biggest mistake of Reagan presidency) failures getting us Clinton as president was the worst thing that could happen). We need a new direction, not recycled Washington trash. Exception to trash is John Bolton (not for VP, but would love to see his return as SOS), but his connection to Bush and loyalty to not criticizing the former boss for his nonsensical policies towards the religion of “pieces” and dumb nation building with our beloved soldiers used as pawns, will not play well in debates. Romney needs to count on many pulling the lever as a no vote on Obama as it is. many will not even show up. so many only pulled lever last time because Palin was on the ticket. tough decision. none of the above fire up the base. not even sure there is a base anymore except for the anybody but Obummers. as for me right now, its Bachmann or won’t be fooled again.
We need someone who can give us a positive feeling again. Someone who appreciates America and being an American. Someone young who can articulate what a great country we live in. Rubio is the only one (aside from Palin) who can deliver this message. I hope he is picked and accepts.
Someone like that would make Romney look bad. Not going to happen.
It’s going to be Pawlenty. Romney needs “class balance” on the ticket, and Pawlenty fits the bill. Perfect guy to campaign in Iowa, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
I’d love Bolton, but he’d make Romney look like the stiff he is.
Want to defuse the Ron Paul bunch? Name Rand Paul! Easy fix and a good man to boot.
I still believe that the best choice is Sen. Rob Portman. He will help Mitt Romney greatly.
I do not want to disparage the man being that I have no idea who he is….like most everybody else outside Ohio. But, to the outside Ohio population, Portman ‘looks’ just like Romney – blah, bland, boring. I personally believe Romney brings all the boring we can stand to the ticket without compounding the problem, gimme John Bolton all the way. Bolton brings the most positives, credentials and personal strengths to the ticket….and he’d be a hoot on the trail!
Amen.
Rumsfeld is great, but the guy has to be in his 80′s isn’t it time he goes fishing.
How about some one with a positive IQ Rand Paul, what ever his name is the younger Senator from one of those developing states in the south.
Romney is too liberal, all of them are too liberal,
It could be easily considered hopeless.
Any warm body is going to succeed after the buckwheat Obama Husein Caliphate
How did America slide so deep into the sewer, a negro muslim, what a crying shame.
J.C. Watts? Hmmm. A lot of us who used to really like him are not so sure anymore, since he said he had a difficult time not voting for Obama.
Bolton? No, no, and no. He’d be a great pick for SecState, but he’s Not VP material AT ALL.
Gale Norton? What does she offer? Bleh.
Rumsfeld?? Are you SERIOUS?!?!? Talk about making sure you get NO votes from the critical mushy middle!!!
Issa? No, for two reasons. One, we need him where he is, and two, he’s really not VP caliber. Yet. Maybe someday.
Rod Paige, Judd Gregg, Mike Mullen. Three more non-entities who can do nothing for the ticket but fill in a blank.
Jon Kyl. Hmmmm. Maybe not a bad choice….
Fred Thompson. Oh, please. He burned up any credibility he had when he showed himself to be a quitter. He talks good, then folds.
I’m an independent but would part company with Romney if he put the self-serving, deceiving David Petraeus on his ticket. This is a brutal, dangerous little dude. Skip his young, female “protegee’s” recent bio about him and read “The Operators.” Petraeus’s name is “famous” in the way Charles Manson’s is. His key admirers appear to be in the media and in DC, Regular people – exclude military wonks – are not that impressed with him. Not to be mean-spirited, but he is too small and unattractive to draw votes from women or other voter segments Romney needs. Awful idea.