The Ryan Leaf of Running Mates

The veepstakes are a lot of fun this year, and have produced some interesting recent commentary. Part of the reason that the process seems more gripping than usual is that there is no incumbent, so we get to play the guessing game twice. Another factor is that both candidates, for all their great qualities, have some pretty glaring shortcomings, both in terms of politics (Obama with Latinos and whites, McCain with conservatives) as well as experience (Obama with foreign policy, McCain with the economy). And, as always, the electoral map gets a lot of attention, despite the lack of recent evidence that a running mate's provenance is likely to have a big impact.

I’ve mentioned my belief that the worst possible move for Obama would be to tab Hillary Clinton as his running mate. I think almost as bad an idea is for McCain to enlist Mitt Romney. The former Massachusetts governor would help McCain with his economic liabilities, but there are a lot of pols who could do that. He would probably not reassure conservatives distrustful of McCain, as Romney was until not long ago a moderate Republican running the nation’s most reliably liberal state. Romney’s Mormonism would add a wild card that could keep conservatives at home (though, if he thinks he’s the best man for the job, McCain should absolutely ignore that consideration). And, because his disdain for Romney in particular was so visible during the primaries, having Mitt on board would also make McCain seem like a hypocrite. Putting Romney on the ticket would be a strictly political move for a man who still tries to cast himself as a maverick.

If burnishing the resume is the goal, I’d choose Rob Portman for McCain and Sam Nunn for Obama. If geographical considerations take precedence, I’d go with Charlie Crist for McCain and Ted Strickland for Obama.