"At a fundraiser in New Mexico last night, McCain cracked this joke at Romney’s expense: “I’m appreciative every time I see Mitt on television on my behalf. He does a better job for me than he did for himself as a matter of fact.” Bada bing. If McCain can start joking about someone, you know they've made it into his mental inner circle. Romney may very well be higher on the short list than anyone realizes. The biggest roadblock for many in picturing a McCain-Romney ticket is McCain getting over his personal reservations about him. But joking about him is a start."

It seems to me that Romney's chances are getting better and better every day.  Really, the only major reservation about whether or not McCain would consider Romney was whether or not McCain could warm up to him personally ... 

... Republican officials said they were enlisting President Bush, a formidable fund-raiser who has raised more than $36 million this year for Republican candidates and committees, for three events on Mr. McCain’s behalf. They will appear together at a fund-raiser in Phoenix on May 27, and the next day the president will take part in a luncheon with Mitt Romney in Salt Lake City and then an exclusive dinner at Mr. Romney’s vacation home in Park City, Utah.

Conservatives seem to be snickering over the latest Susan B. Anthony List update.  ... SBA’s No. 1 goal is to end abortion in this country.

This is why some find it highly interesting that the two new co-chairs of the SBA List are former Mitt Romney folk: Barbara Comstock and Cesar Conda. (Conda works at Navigators, the baby of GOP Svengali Mike Murphy, while Comstock has her own shop.)

Still, heads are shaking at the news — especially considering Romney’s abortion-rights past. And, even better: SBA is also holding a fundraiser ($500 a head) with who as its highlighted star of the night? Mitt Romney. “Having Romney headline a SBA event doesn’t pass the laugh test in town among real conservatives,” snickered one self-described “real conservative” who went on to ask: “Two senior Romney people in charge of the SBA? Are they trying to kill the institution?”

... "The truth of the matter is just as I said, that he doesn't have a record of accomplishments in the private sector or in the governmental sector ... hasn't pushed a major piece of legislation.

"He seems like a charming guy who's very well-spoken. But in terms of actually having led, actually having accomplished something, actually having a kind of leadership that America needs at a critical time with our economy ... he's untested. ... Frankly, Sen. McCain is someone who is tested and very proven ..."

Obama later fired back, saying this was the same kind of argument Romney had used against McCain.

Meanwhile, writing in the Buffalo News, Curt Smith makes the Huck for Veep case, arguing McCain needs Huckabee's voters:

Specifically, Huckabee would clinch what McCain aides wrongly “believe that he has already won,” the Wall Street Journal says of bornagains. Despite his recent “guns and religion” gaffe, Barack Obama could loosen such evangelical states as Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and even Mississippi. Recently, Houston TV megachurch pastor Joel Osteen lauded Hillary Clinton for “all you’ve done for America.” Kennedy’s fire wall was LBJ. Huckabee would be McCain’s. Overnight he would make the Republicans’ largest block a GOP pro, not con.

                             John McCain and La governor Bobby Jindal.

Bill Kristol's op-ed this morning focuses on the possibility that John McCain might pick La governor Bobby Jindal as his running mate.   While that is an interesting possibility to discuss (personally, I think he needs to serve as governor for a few years), this excerpt about Mitt Romney caught my attention: 

"Another McCain staffer called my attention to this finding in the latest Fox News poll: McCain led Obama in the straight match-up, 46 to 43. Voters were then asked to choose between two tickets, McCain-Romney vs. Obama-Clinton. Obama-Clinton won 47 to 41.

That reversal of a three-point McCain lead to a six-point deficit for the McCain ticket suggests what might happen (a) when the Democrats unite, and (b) if McCain were to choose a conventional running mate, who, as it were, reinforced the Republican brand for the ticket. As the McCain aide put it, this is what will happen if we run a traditional campaign; our numbers will gradually regress toward the (losing) generic Republican number."

Kristol admits this scenario depends on Obama being the nominee.  I might also add that this scenario assumes Obama would pick Hillary; he wouldn't.  Still, this serves as a bit of a blow to those who are hoping for a McCain/Romney ticket. 

It is also interesting to note that it was McCain staffers who reportedly brought this to Kristols' attention ...

In recent weeks, McCain has campaigned with both Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee. While there was a lot of VP buzz when the AZ Senator was joined by Romney and Huckabee, expect a lot less around Fred—the former TN Senator even told Fox News last week that a number 2 slot is “not in the cards.”

Attacks by the Mitt Romney supporters are unwarranted and unnecessary. Making comments such as "[Mike Huckabee's] blatant actions forced America to re-think it's bias against the LDS people, and the country found out that it was neither fair, nor warranted" and "the Evangelical Taliban are those evangelicals who think they are the only people worthy to decide who can or cannot be considered Christian" or "He only attracts a small group of evangelicals who cannot stomach a Mormon in the White House, and who base their vote on religion" are highly offensive and sound as if they came from the Radical Left. Comparing Americans who classify themselves as Evangelicals to a murderous regime is a tactic of desperate individuals and should immediately draw a retraction from Governor Mitt Romney and members of his staff. There is absolutely no place in the political discourse for this kind of hate speech by supporters of Mitt Romney. We ask that Governor Romney repudiate these kind of statements.

Huckabee is running for 2012

He knows McCain can't choose him so he's sowing as much division as possible, and trying to stay in the spot light. Think about it.

 

The continuing snarky Romney comments.

The anti-Romney ad petition.

The book to be released in Nov about his campaign.

The Huck4America website.

His "new and improved" website with a countdown!

HuckPAC.

Pep rally for himself.

Speaking engagements all about himself, not McCain.
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Continuing my coverage of the "Veepstakes," a group supporting Mike Huckabee for VP has lunched a Huck4America webpage -- and petition.  It looks like it was put together pretty hastily -- most likely as a response to MittforVeep.com.  ... Nevertheless, they've got a page up. 

Update:  Think this is a reference to Mitt Romney?:

" ... there are rumors that you are considering a choice that would be more moderate on these core issues. Candidates that are, for example, not necessarily pro-life.

... It is important to have a Vice President whose record has been consistently pro-life, not coming to the party simply to run for national office."

Here's their message to Sen. McCain:

Dear Senator McCain,

Now that you have become the presumptive nominee for the Republican Party, the next step is to choose someone join the GOP ticket as your Vice Presidential Nominee.
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