Mitt Romney as Vice President

Mitt Romney was governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts before he decided to follow in the footsteps of his father, George Romney, and run for president. Though he fell short, he is now one of the few politicians to actually signal his willingness to be vice president.

"I think any Republican leader in this country would be honored to be asked to serve as the vice presidential nominee, myself included," Romney told FOX's Sean Hannity in a recent broadcast. "Of course this is a nation which needs strong leadership. And if the nominee of our party asked you to serve with him, anybody would be honored to receive that call ... and to accept it, of course."

The idea of Romney as John McCain's running mate has garnered mixed reviews.

Mitt Romney brings certain strengths that could compliment John McCain's strengths. Romney has a proven track record as a businessman and as well as a certain knowledge of economic issues that McCain lacks. Before he was governor of Massachusetts, Romney was most famous for having saved the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah from fiscal mismanagement.

Mitt Romney also has a certain regional appeal, having been born in Michigan and having been governor of Massachusetts, two states that would be very useful for a McCain headed ticket to pick up in the Electoral College. Even putting Michigan and Massachusetts in play would divert resources from McCain's Democratic rival that might otherwise be better spent.

Mitt Romney, however, comes with some baggage which should give John McCain a little pause. While Romney is certainly considered more conservative than McCain (he was considered the conservative alternative to McCain late in the Republican race), his conservatism is considered of recent vintage. As early as the 1994 Massachusetts Senate race Romney ran against Teddy Kennedy, Romney was proclaiming himself pro choice on the abortion debate. While Romney has explained the epiphany that led him to the pro life side, some social conservatives remain doubtful.

And then there is that Mormon question. It is a sad state of affairs to consider that a man's religious faith can still be considered a question for his fitness for public office. But Romney's rivals have used Romney's Mormon faith as a means to whip up public doubt about him. Teddy Kennedy certainly used it to some effect in the 1994 race. Romney was actually obliged to make a speech during the current campaign defending his religious faith, which impressed a lot of people.

Regardless of all that, John McCain could do a lot worse than find a way to bury the natural animosity of the campaign and choose Romney as his running mate. The conservative pundit Fred Barnes points out that Romney has already been vetted because of the Presidential campaign. A Romney pick, besides the advantages heretofore stated, would have no unpleasant surprises.

Sources:

Romney: Heck Yes, I'd be McCain's VP, Allahpundit, Hot Air, March 11, 2008
Mitt Romney, Wikipedia
The Veepstakes, An Obvious Winner, Fred Barnes, The Weekly Standard, 3/17/2008 Issue