Well, Bush wasn’t really worried about picking up Wyoming when he added Cheney to the ticket.
Thompson would be the kind of guy that might pick the best person, not the expedient one.
But that might not be any of the current candidates.
“Well, Bush wasn’t really worried about picking up Wyoming when he added Cheney to the ticket.”
Correct, Cheney was picked to add experience, and to balance George’s “compassionate” (moderate) conservatism. In the Republican party, a moderate presidential candidate picks a conserative VP (Quayle, Cheney) while a conservative candidate picks a moderate (Bush I, picked by Reagan). People have forgotten that Bush didn’t run as a strong conservative, which explains why they are so upset when he takes moderate positions. They created a Bush in their minds that was a fantasy.