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Vice President Romney?

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Infomaniacs Anonymous

WASHINGTON — I wrote in my last column that Mitt Romney had steadily lost my respect over the past year. On Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where he addressed me and thousands of other attendees, he earned some of it back.

I must have been the only schmuck in the room without a Romney sign or a big red foam baseball “Mitt.” But I looked forward to hearing my former governor speak publicly following his disappointing Super Tuesday. After a glowing introduction by talk-radio diva Laura Ingraham, Romney took the stage to a standing ovation. He launched into what seemed like any other stump speech, tackling every issue from the economy and energy to terrorism and gay marriage.

Fifteen minutes in, however, the talk took a noticeable turn.

“Even though we face an uphill fight, I know that many in this room are fully behind my campaign. You are with me all the way to the convention. Fight on, just like Ronald Reagan did in 1976 ... But there is an important difference from 1976: today, we are a nation at war … ”

My neighbor turned to me: “Is he doing what I think he’s doing?”

“ … I disagree with Senator McCain on a number of issues, as you know. But I agree with him on doing whatever it takes to be successful in Iraq, on finding and executing Osama bin Laden, and on eliminating Al Qaeda and terror. If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror … ”

Howls of protest filled the room. Jaws dropped to the floor.

“Don’t do it, Mitt,” screamed one girl, as if the former governor was staring into Cascadilla Gorge from the Thurston Avenue Bridge, ready to take the plunge.

“… If this were only about me, I would go on. But I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America, I feel I must now stand aside, for our party and for our country.”

A visibly emotional Romney finished the last few lines of his speech and was joined on stage by his wife Ann. Arm in arm, the couple waved to the shell-shocked audience and exited stage right.

And just like that, it was all over. The End. Years of meticulous preparation, months of nonstop campaigning, $40 million of the Romney fortune — down the drain, all for naught … or was it?

Many speculate that should McCain falter in November — a more likely scenario than this McCainiac cares to admit — Romney would be waiting in the wings for 2012 in a party with a tradition of rewarding previous runners-up. Some are even suggesting that Romney run for governor of Michigan in 2010 as a springboard to his next bid. But Romney could re-enter the political scene far sooner, a few months hence, as John McCain’s running mate.

Presidential candidates round out their tickets with an eye toward offsetting their liabilities. McCain has three major ones — a dispirited party base, lackluster economic credentials, concerns about his age — and Romney helps with each …

McCain has come this far on the backs of moderate Republicans and independents. Polls consistently show him underperforming among self-described conservatives, many of whom refuse to forgive a man who — among other sins — voted against both Bush tax cuts, cosponsored campaign-finance reform, supports “amnesty” for illegal immigrants and believes that global warming is something more than a liberal hoax. Many are threatening to sit out this election unless McCain picks a satisfactory running mate.

While there are numerous conservatives from whom McCain could choose — Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and South Dakota Sen. John Thune come to mind — none can match Romney’s name recognition or support base. The same talk-radio blowhards and grassroots activists that suffer acute McCain Derangement Syndrome have embraced Romney as the second coming of Ronald Reagan despite his recent conversions on many issues. They see him as a “full-spectrum conservative” — unlike, say, Mike Huckabee, who appeals only to the socially conservative wing of the party. Unlike the Baptist preacher, furthermore, Romney could assuage McCain’s critics without completely scaring off the independents they’d need to win.

Having admitted little knowledge about the economy — voters’ top concern currently — McCain could also benefit from a running mate with Romney’s economic credentials. (Some enterprising YouTuber spliced together clips of the verbally challenged Miss Teen South Carolina and McCain bobbling a debate question on economics.) Romney, the wildly successful former CEO, would deliver some economic gravitas to complement McCain’s national-security credibility.

Romney’s relative youth is also a huge plus. With McCain set to turn 72 before Election Day, and in less-than-perfect health, voters will place an added premium on his running mate’s perceived readiness to take over. McCain has acknowledged further that he might seek only one term, making his would-be veep the heir apparent for 2012. For all Romney’s flaws, nobody questions his intelligence or competence.

Romney brings other assets to the table. His executive experience is a nice complement to McCain’s legislative record. He’s a Washington outsider in an anti-incumbent year. He already has a campaign organization and supporter network that could be reactivated at a moment’s notice. And he’s proven himself a prolific fundraiser — raising more than any other GOP candidate — which could help McCain keep up with likes of Obama or Clinton.

Romney could also give McCain a marginal boost in several key swing states. It’s worth noting that Romney handily won five states likely to be competitive in November (Colorado, Nevada, Minnesota, Maine and his home state of Michigan). He finished a strong second in three more (Iowa, New Hampshire and Florida). And as his 90 percent victory in Utah demonstrated, he enjoys near-unanimous support among Mormons, which could help McCain win other swing states with sizable Mormon voting blocs (Oregon, Washington and New Mexico)

It will never happen, you say. McCain and Romney despise each other.

Maybe so, but the history of American politics is rife with shotgun marriages between bitter rivals. JFK and LBJ weren’t friends; neither were Reagan and Bush Sr. Political pressure is stronger than personal preference. It’s not a question of chemistry, you see. It’s about math:

McCain + Romney = 270 Electoral Votes ... Problem solved.

Ben Birnbaum is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be contacted at bbirnbaum@cornellsun.com. Infomaniacs Anonymous appears Tuesdays.

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