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Political reporters have long been obsessed with conflict between presidential candidates and their running mates, at least since the days of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson. That's probably one reason why McCain's joke in Detroit last week that Mitt Romney was "doing a better job for me than he did for himself" sparked a wave of news stories speculating that McCain was seriously considering, for the vice-presidential slot, his bitter rival turned loyal surrogate. But while choosing Romney to be his running mate would make Washington journalists happy, it would be nothing short of political suicide for McCain.

Should John McCain choose Mitt Romney as his running mate? 83% - Yes. Romney appeals to conservatives and helps balance the ticket in other ways, too. 7% - No, McCain should consider someone less known to the nation, such as Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal. 3% - No, McCain should choose someone who adds to McCain’s own foreign policy strengths, such as General David Petraeus. 6% - Not sure any of the above are the qualities McCain should focus on. Total Votes: 1,307 Quite an interesting perspective coming to us courtesy of the Boston Herald. Looks like Romney's business background, charm,...

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.—Mitt Romney failed to win the Republican presidential nomination because of inexperience and inconsistency, according to GOP political guru Karl Rove. Rove, who grew up in Utah and masterminded President George W. Bush's election and re-election campaigns, told those gathered at the Television Critics Association press tour that the former Massachusetts governor didn't understand what he was getting into. "Running for president is unlike any other political task that anybody has ever taken on," he said. "So running for governor of Massachusetts, while it prepares you to some degree for running for president, there's nothing like running for...

It may come as a surprise to some on the left, but it is the Bush administration that made the state of Massachusetts' health-care revolution a reality. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, together with Massachusetts leaders from both parties, enabled our state to launch a health-care plan that is on track to get virtually every citizen insured. Moreover, Bay Staters are now able to own their own insurance with the same low rates that are paid by employers. And there is no more worrying that if you lose your job, you lose your health insurance. The Bush administration...

RFFM.org Guest Column by Gregg Jackson * About a month ago, the California Supreme Court, in a 4-3 decision, issued a declaratory opinion that Proposition 22, which states that, "Only a marriage between a man and a woman is valid and recognized in California," enshrined into statutory law by 61.4% of California voters in 2000 (over four million voters), was "unconstitutional" on the basis that "gender discrimination" violates the equal protection clause of the state constitution. The LA Times reported: "The California Supreme Court struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage Thursday in a broadly worded decision that would...

NOTE: This was originally posted on my blog at The 7-10, but I thought the readers here at The Free Republic might be interested in this post as well. This post is part of an ongoing series assessing various names being floated around for vice presidential picks. In this particular post, I reexamined Mitt Romney. ----- The former Massachusetts governor seems to be the most logical and most beneficial pick for John McCain. I was originally skeptical about his political future, but have since become more bullish about his chances. Romney will not help deliver Massachusetts, but it could make...

The Washington Post has an interesting article that makes a strong case for why Mitt Romney would be the right choice for John McCain as Vice-President. It centers on Romney's Economic background, and his appeal in at least four battleground states. Here are some excerpts . . .One factor not addressed in this analysis is the level of energy Romney would generate in these key states to not only vote for McCain but to get out and WORK for McCain-Romney. . . .

A new Survey USA poll in Michigan gives strong support to John McCain adding Mitt Romney to the ticket if his major aim is to win Michigan. McCain leads Obama 41%-37% head-to-head. But when Romney is added to the ticket, McCain-Romney defeat every possible Democratic ticket surveyed: (see graphic) Michigan is a "must-win" state for Democrats. If McCain could pick it off, he would be well on his way to victory.

(NOTE: This is a repost of an article that was recently posted here by another forum member. I had it pulled for copyright infringement. I am the true author of the article [I wrote it on my political blog] and am reposting it here because it seems there are many people who are interested in discussing this. Please do not steal other people's intellectual property.) ------- Ever since John McCain effectively clinched the Republican nomination back in February, he has had trouble staying in the headlines and getting media attention. After all, the chess match between Barack Obama and Hillary...

Charlie Crist, Bobby Jindal and Mitt Romney better hope John McCain isn't banking on Tony Blankley for guidance on his Veep pick. Newt's former press secretary is blah—at best—on all three. Blankley, also the former editorial page editor of the Washington Times and who continues to write a column there, made his remarks on MSNBC's "Race for the White House" this evening as part of a panel reacting to the news that McCain has invited the three governors—past and present—to meet with him over the Memorial Day weekend. ON CRIST DAVID GREGORY: What would Governor Crist bring to McCain's ticket?...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT Senator McCain. I wonder how he feels today. Senator McCain went out there yesterday, made this speech in which he pretended it's 2013, the end of his first term, looking back at all the things that have been accomplished, and you just know that the attitude he has when he makes this speech is that, "I am a good person. I am an honorable person, and I have integrity, and we're all friends, we're all Americans. We're not from different countries. We all should just put aside this partisanship and get along." He gives this great flowering,...

Watching the videos, including the tours of the ranch, listening to the interviews and news reports it became clear that the women and children are living in a prison inside the gates of the FLDS YFZ Ranch Compound in Eldorado, Texas. It's run like a state prison anywhere in the US. Anyone else notice that? Nobody can leave, they are locked in, they have practically no contact with the outside world, they have work duties, they wear uniforms. The children have a restricted outside play area. There is a code like in a gang of deception. Initially the men told...

The former Massachusetts Governor and recent Republican presidential candidate will "bring his unique views as both a politician and business leader to the microphone" - and will be getting up extra early, to handle that first Paul Harvey show, as well as the "midday visit." ABC Radio Networks says former KVIL/KLUV, Dallas personality Ron Chapman will still handle the bulk of the fill-ins for Paul Harvey - whom it says is due for cataract surgery, after recovering from pneumonia. Harvey's an amazing 89 years old, and is now scheduled to return to his usual Chicago-based microphone on Friday, April 25.

Mitt Romney would top Andy Card's list as John McCain’s running mate. The former White House chief of staff tells Newsmax that Romney proved himself to be a good campaigner. “He’s attractive, he was knowledgeable, he didn’t stumble too many times, so I don’t think that he suffers from foot-in-mouth disease,” Card says. “He is appropriately respected for his understanding of the economy and how it works and what decisions must be made that complement the ability for people to have jobs. He’s filled with integrity, and he’s a proven winner in a Democratic state.” Strong Motivator While Card says...

RFFM.org Commentary by Daniel T. Zanoza, executive director I was sitting there, eating popcorn and watching one of the Republican presidential debates. Sounds like real entertainment, but that should tell you something about my life these days. Don't ask me which debate it was because they all seemed to run together like those old Bowery Boys episodes we were forced to watch before cable gave us 98 channels of infomercials. But next up for questioning was former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and the moderator was asking him something about the economy. Suddenly, I heard a voice, very low, but very...

He’s gone this route before as prep for a presidential run, first with his Commonwealth PAC and then as chairman of the Republican Governors Association, whose biggest contributions had a curious habit of going to key primary states like Iowa, Michigan, and Florida. Didn’t do him much good last time. Second time’s a charm? According to two Republicans with knowledge of his plans, Romney, at some point during the next few weeks, intends to establish a new political action committee to help elect Republican candidates.“We’re thinking about what new entity can be created to allow Governor Romney to remain politically...

When John McCain begins his search for a vice presidential running mate, he'll quickly come upon a sad fact. He wants a candidate who will be seen as a plausible president. That's criterion number one. He also wants someone who won't subtract from his campaign in any serious way. That's criterion number two. The unfortunate truth is that few Republicans meet these simple criteria. McCain doesn't have much of a pool to choose from. But his selection matters enormously, all the more because of his age. McCain will turn 72 on the eve of the Republican convention this summer. Choosing...

Cannot Post due to copyright issues: http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2008/03/17/080317taco_talk_hertzberg

... Yes, Bill Buckley was a true conservative leader. We will miss him as we miss Reagan. But no, the conservative movement is far from dead. It's just had some of its pseudo-conservative dead weight removed... There's a sifting going on, and the conservative movement is still being sifted as those who clamor for last-minute political favor have endorsed the candidate who stands for LESS of what they say they believe. People we trusted. People we loved. But as I've told Gov. Huckabee repeatedly as leader after leader turned their back on the only guy who embraced their beliefs: God...

Mitt Romney is down, but he might not be out. Romney suspended his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination after a disappointing showing on Super Tuesday, and has endorsed John McCain for the GOP nod. But Romney’s son Josh says it’s “possible” his father might rejoin the race as a candidate for vice president or for president if McCain’s campaign stalls. Romney hasn’t commented publicly about a recent New York Times article that implied McCain had an improper relationship with a female lobbyist. McCain and the lobbyist have firmly denied the allegation, but subsequent reports have contradicted some of McCain’s...

Breaking News: Mitt Romney to rejoin GOP race? Josh Romney, one of former Gov. Mitt Romney's five sons, says it's "possible" his father may rejoin the race for the White House, either as a vice presidential candidate or seek to become the Republican Party's standard bearer if the campaign of Sen. John McCain falters. ..... McCain and the lobbyist have unequivocally denied the charges and numerous conservatives, once hesitant to support the more moderate senator, have flocked to his support, at least against the liberal Times. However, subsequent published reports have contradicted some of McCain's denials of meetings with corporate...

Republican Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee visited Colorado Springs for the second time in less than a year. He met with supporter Dr. James Dobson at Focus on the Family, before going to the Broadmoor for a paid speech in front of the Leadership Program of the Rockies. "He carries an enormous level of influence," says Huckabee about his talk with Dobson, his friend of 14 years. "The contents of it, obviously would remain off the record and confidential, and I'm sure you (the media) would respect that, actually I know you won't, but I will," joked Huckabee. After his news...

Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee met with conservative Christian leader James Dobson Friday as he vied to pick up the Colorado delegates pledged to Mitt Romney, who dropped out of the race. Huckabee's visit comes two weeks after Dobson endorsed him for president. "Personally it was a great encouragement," Huckabee said of the endorsement. "I think it also was an extraordinary boost for our campaign because Dr. Dobson is seen as such a true national leader when it comes to issues of life, marriage and family." Huckabee is an ordained Baptist minister and a former governor of Arkansas. His campaign...

Mike Huckabee was officially awarded 51 of Georgia's 72 delegates to the 2008 Republican National Convention on Monday when the state GOP released final certified results of its Feb. 5 primary. Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, won 7 of the state's 13 congressional districts, getting three delegates for each, plus a bonus of 30 delegates for winning the overall state vote. John McCain, who finished second to Huckabee, won four districts and will have 12 delegates. Mitt Romney, who finished third, won two districts and gets six delegates. Romney, however, has dropped out of the race and pledged his...

Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee vowed Tuesday to continue his campaign for the White House despite another loss to presumptive nominee Arizona Sen. John McCain in the Wisconsin GOP primary. "It's not about ego," Huckabee told reporters at the Peabody Hotel after he telephoned McCain to congratulate him on winning the Wisconsin primary. "Let me assure you that my ego doesn't enjoy these kind of evenings where we don't win the primary election," he said, adding there are several issues, such as pro-life and taxes, he wants to continue to speak out on and hopes to do so at the...

John McCain's victory in the Washington State Presidential Primary tonight should surprise no one. His thrashing of Mike Huckabee, however, and the latter's poor overall showing, is a fascinating storyline. McCain's win in another non-Southern state tonight was likewise anti-climatic, though thanks to the meaningful and competitive Democratic primary in Wisconsin there was actually an exit poll conducted for the dissection of political junkies. It showed Mike Huckabee getting pounded among non-Evangelicals, losing to McCain 67% - 24%. Those voters comprised 62% of Wisconsin voters casting GOP ballots. That's a pathetic showing in a two-man race. Alas, there is no...

ABC News' George Stephanopoulos and John Berman Report: Former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass., today endorsed his former Republican rival Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. The endorsement took place this afternoon at Romney for President headquarters in Boston. Romney asked his delegates to throw their support to McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. "Even when the contest was close and our disagreements were debated, the caliber of the man was apparent," Romney said, standing with McCain for the announcement at his now-defunct campaign's headquarters in Boston. "As a party, we come together." Accepting Romney's endorsement, McCain said despite a "hard campaign" now...

Newton - Brian Camenker of Auburndale was a major force behind the derailing of Mitt Romney’s massively expensive and impeccably organized presidential campaign. One recent national press release called Camenker the “lynchpin” of Romney’s demise. Political insiders have to acknowledge that he was the unforeseen nemesis the Romney machine couldn’t stop. It’s evident that since stepping down from leading the Newton Taxpayers Association in 2004, Camenker’s been getting a lot more traction outside of Newton than in it. For years Newton liberals had made an industry of publicly berating him, largely due to his relentless challenges to their political sacred...

From Rasmussen Reports on February 9: "… polling since Mitt Romney suspended his campaign shows John McCain leading Mike Huckabee 55% to 24% in the race for the Republican Presidential Nomination. McCain also leads Huckabee 724 to 196 in delegates and there is no viable path to the nomination for Huckabee. As a result, Rasmussen Reports will no longer conduct daily tracking polls of the race for the Republican Presidential nomination." From Rasmussen Reports on February 10: "In the race for the Republican Presidential Nomination, Mike Huckabee had a good day on Saturday. He won the caucuses in Kansas handily,...

1. McCain Should Be Feared, Writer Says Presidential hopeful John McCain is being billed as the Republican that liberals can live with, but his credentials as a “bipartisan progressive� are in fact a “lazy, hazy myth,� according to liberal pundit Johann Hari. “The truth is that McCain is the candidate we should most fear,� writes Hari, a columnist for The Independent in Britain, in an article that appeared in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. “Not only is he to the right of Bush on a whole range of subjects, he is also the Republican candidate most likely to dispense with Hillary Clinton...

Yes, yes, yes, it's much too early to start thinking about running mates. Too bad. People are doing it anyway. And even though they won't admit it, odds are that Sens. John McCain, Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton are giving it at least some thought. So, too, are people who turn up their noses at the suggestion they might be a good fit, yet secretly harbor ambitions of getting the nod. Veepstakes speculation - always an undercurrent with a presidential election afoot - intensified this past week after Mitt Romney dropped out of the race, helping to clear McCain's...

WASHINGTON - Talk about cold comfort. Mitt Romney, who dropped out of the Republican presidential race on Thursday, won a straw poll of conservative activists on Saturday, edging out likely nominee John McCain. Ballots for the straw poll conducted at the Conservatives Political Action Conference were collected Thursday morning through Friday afternoon. Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, quit the race in a midday speech to the conference on Thursday. In the straw poll vote, Romney got 35 percent and McCain 34 percent. Mike Huckabee and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas tied with 12 percent. Romney won the straw poll at...

I posted a squib on the National Review Web site about a robo call I received from John McCain. (Virginia's primary is Tuesday.) The call stressed that he would, if elected, be a down-the-line limited government conservative who would never raise taxes, would defend life, would enforce immigration laws and would win the war on terror. The candidate is trying, I said, to meet conservatives "more than halfway." The response of readers was, shall we say, emphatic. One lady wrote that she would never vote for him as "He is the most disloyal, ill-tempered man and he brings out the...

Some 50 stalwarts of the political right privately met with Mitt Romney minutes after he dropped out of the Republican nominating race to discuss the former Massachusetts governor becoming the face of conservatism, as Ronald Reagan became en route to his 1980 election win.

In a message to supporters sent just before 11 p.m. Friday night, Representative Ron Paul, a long-shot G.O.P. candidate from Texas, basically conceded that he’s not going to win the party’s nomination. That said, he’s scaling back his campaign — but not entirely. He said: With Romney gone, the chances of a brokered convention are nearly zero. But that does not affect my determination to fight on, in every caucus and primary remaining, and at the convention for our ideas, with just as many delegates as I can get. But with so many primaries and caucuses now over, we do...

Many news organizations report delegate projections based on nonbinding votes for candidate preference. The New York Times counts only delegates that have been officially selected and are bound by their preferences (link in post #2): 695 - Senator McCain 159 - Governor Huckabee 136 - Governor Romney 5 - Congressman Paul 0 - Ambassador Keyes There'll be 2,380 total delegates selected for the national convention, and a candidate will need the votes of 1,191 of them to win the nomination. So far 995 delegates have been officially selected and are bound by their preferences. Senator McCain would still need the...

Want to send a message about your dislike for McCain? Vote for Mitt when you have your primary. Mitt stoped activily campaigning, but he is still a candidate for the nomination and he will be on the ballot. Just imagine if Mitt wins the state after suspending his campaign, what a hoot to see McCain that night!

Dr. Dobson: 'I'm Between a Rock and a Hard Place' He says he will not violate his conscience by voting for the lesser of two evils. One day after Sen. John McCain took the lead in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, Dr. James Dobson discussed just how difficult it has been for him to go public with his inability to vote for the Arizona senator, as a matter of conscience. "I regret what happened last night," Dr. Dobson told The Glenn Beck Program today, speaking as a private citizen. "I'm between a rock and a hard place." Dr....

Dr. James Dobson issued the following statement Thursday, speaking as a private citizen. I am endorsing Gov. Mike Huckabee for President of the United States today. My decision comes in the wake of my statement on Super Tuesday that I could not vote for Sen. John McCain, even if he goes on to win the Republican nomination. His record on the institution of the family and other conservative issues makes his candidacy a matter of conscience and concern for me. That left two pro-family candidates whom I could support, but I was reluctant to choose between them. However, the decision...

Ann Coulter wasn't invited to CPAC this year but she's still giving a speech 50 yards away. The speech is only open to 500 attendees but you can watch it live here -- courtesy of uStream. (VIDEO)

Mitt Romney suspended his presidential campaign yesterday, after his poor showing on Super Tuesday made a victory over John McCain all but mathematically impossible. As much as McCain and Mike Huckabee loathe Mitt, it's been easy to imagine them conspiring to deliver the killing stroke. Conventional wisdom says Huckabee won five southern states outright and helped turn others, such as Missouri, to McCain by taking conservative votes away from Romney. But Romney probably wasn't going to earn those ballots anyway. Southern states have GOP primary electorates dominated by evangelical Christians, specifically by Southern Baptists. And many of those Southern Baptists...

David Shuster: not just an MSNBC "correspondent" anymore -- now a Dem campaign consultant too! In the opening segment of today's Morning Joe, Shuster offered a kernel of consulting wisdom to the Obama campaign, and the message was clear: Barack needs to get nastier with those mean-spirited Republicans. MIKA BRZEZINSKI: We did get some comments from Barack Obama yesterday about Mitt Romney dropping out. WILLIE GEIST: I thought that was very interesting. Obama was responding to the comments we just heard earlier where Mitt Romney said Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will "surrender to terror." Here was Obama's response. Cut...

Why Romney Failed Where was he coming from? Voters never really knew. By Byron York Washington, D.C. — It’s telling that Mitt Romney formally began his presidential campaign in Michigan and ended it in Washington, D.C. The man who made Massachusetts his home, who has lived there for 35 years, was its governor, and put his campaign headquarters in Boston, could never reconcile his past as a successful Massachusetts politician — a moderate — with the style of true-blue conservatism that he believed he would have to embrace to win the Republican nomination. Last week, I was talking with a...

The essence of Howard Fineman's Newsweek column about the demise of Mitt Romney's campaign is the glorification of authenticity, and Mitt's perceived lack of it. Ironic, then, that Fineman would resort to one of the oldest, and least authentic, journalistic dodges: suggest the worst about someone, then slyly slink away. To wit [emphasis added]: [M]aybe the campaign revealed what his closest friends never imagined him to be. They thought he was a decent classy guy. But maybe he really is a soulless throat-cutter who would do and say anything to win.

OMAHA, NE -- Barack Obama called Mitt Romney's candidacy "ineffective" on the day that the former MA governor dropped his bid for the presidency. Romney, who dropped out of the race for president today in Washington, said in his exit speech that the GOP must unify and not allow Democrats to allow the country to "surrender to terror." "Well my reaction to Mitt Romney's comment that's the kind of poorly thought out comment that lead him to drop out," Obama said during a press avail on his campaign plane. "It's a classic attempt to appeal to people's fears that will...

  Feb. 7, 2008 Romney quits race, eyes 2012 The presidential race Mitt Romney planned for years crashed to a halt Thursday, stopped in its tracks by the surprisingly durable John McCain campaign and by Romney's failure to quell concerns about his shifts on key issues, his political persona and his Mormon religion. Making the dramatic announcement at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference at a Washington hotel, Romney clearly hoped to preserve the goodwill of his party for another possible bid in 2012. He intends to run again in four years, according to a senior member of his...

Here lieth the campaign of Mitt Romney, victim of the mistaken belief that the only way to succeed in national Republican politics was to turn yourself into something you are not. Or maybe the campaign revealed what his closest friends never imaged him to be. They thought he was a decent classy guy. But maybe he really is a soulless throat-cutter who would do and say anything to win. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say that he was a good fellow who didn't know enough about national politics and listened to people who gave him bad,...

If we really and truly want to save our Country, we need to band together, and we need to do it now, and loudly, and forcefully. We all know that two real dangers exist. 1. The Dummies win, and this is the most likely to happen. 2. McManiac wins. Either option ends Conservatism in this Country. The Dems have been setting up this type of scenario for years. We need the two biggest guns we have in our arsenal. FRed Thompson and Mitt Romney, as a team, to fight the battle to save our Republic. Let's get our act together,...

I like to call myself a moderate conservative. What this means to me is that I try not to let my ideology keep me from changing course when its prudent or let it keep me from making logical decisions. It also means I believe that extremists from the right are as disruptive of the democratic process as are extremists from the left. The reason for this introduction is that I have changed my mind. Previously I supported Fred Thompson for president and said that I could support Romney or Giuliani if nominated, but I would sit on my hands for...

This is built on two articles from Rush's show today. I've added a few photos and links. "John McCain to Rush Limbaugh: Calm Down, Reach Across Aisle" February 6, 2008 BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: McCain had a press conference today, standing in front of the Straight Talk Express bus, was heading out there, standing with Joe Lieberman, and who else was there, Lindsey Graham. Here's the AP version: "Boosted by his big night, John McCain asked his loudest conservative critics Wednesday to 'calm down' and support his Republican presidential candidacy, as Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton girded for more rounds...