Romney For Veep?

Fred Barnes of the Weekly Standard seems to think so (via Newsmax Insider):

He discussed several possible candidates:

• Joe Lieberman is a friend of McCain, backs the Iraq war, and would likely appeal to independents and moderate Democrats. But he is a liberal on domestic issues, including abortion, and would hurt McCain among social conservatives.
• Rudy Giuliani is also pro-choice and would likewise alienate social conservatives.
• Fred Thompson is close to McCain, but he ran a disappointing presidential campaign and McCain needs a running mate who is more “vibrant.”
• Foreign policy and economic conservatives would “scream bloody murder” if McCain chooses Mike Huckabee, according to Barnes.
• Several Republican governors, including Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and Charlie Crist of Florida, don’t have the stature needed to enhance the McCain ticket.

“That leads to Romney,” Barnes writes in the Weekly Standard.

“He has run a vigorous national campaign and been vetted by the press and his opponents for the Republican nomination. These are very strong pluses.”

Romney is acceptable to social conservatives, strong in debates, and as a former business executive, could counterbalance McCain’s “admitted weakness on economic issues.”

President Bush favors Romney as the GOP vice presidential candidate, and his former political strategist Karl Rove reportedly favors him as well.

You DO realize that Barnes has made the case for why the Republican nominating electorate should have nominated Romney, don't you?  Think about it: McCain's campaign was not and is not "vigorous"; he has NOT been "vetted by the press" (which is a euphemism for "attacked like a school of ravenous pirhannas" - when he is, the famous McCain temper will erupt, as it has at least once already, in fact, and he'll combust like a Jeremiah Wright sermon); his primary opponents were afraid to even look at him crossways; he's unacceptable to social conservatives, ought to be unacceptable to ALL conservatives, is weak in debates, and even he admits he knows bupkis of economic issues, which would explain why he opposed the Bush tax cuts he now claims he wants to permanentize on class warfare grounds.

Romney has already said he'd be willing to join Darth Queeg on the ticket.  The reason why is not outwardly difficult to deduce - given McCain's age, the likelihood of his serving only a single term in the wildly remote possibility that he got elected is at least plausible, which would instantly establish Romney as the 2012 GOP front-runner.  I think he'd have that status anyway (i.e. it would be Romney's "turn") and without any of the rancorous intra-party baggage that a McCain administration would undoubtedly pile up.  To say nothing of the far greater likelihood that the Dark Lord of the Sith goes down in flames in November, and takes his running mate down with him.

I guess it's a question of whether McCain chooses to remain true to his "maverick" image or succumb to the urge to resort to dishonest, "ticket-balancing" pandering.  If the former, Lieberman, Giuliani, or Huckabee would be the way to go.  If the latter, it'll be Fred or Romney.

My hunch?  Sailor will go with an obscure Republican governor with impeccable conservative credentials.  Like Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.  He'd cover a lot of bases with her (so to speak) - she's conservative, has executive experience, certainly wouldn't overshadow him, and has a vagina, which would be a nice identity politics counter-sop to Rodham-Obama or Obama-Rodham.

Besides, McCain hates Romney's Mormon, plutocratic guts.  There's no way he could conceal that kind of disdain for even a month, much less an entire general campaign.

Sure would be entertaining, though.