Imagine this:  Hillary Clinton wins the Democratic nomination and selects Barrack Obama as her VP in a bid to unite the Democratic Party behind one ticket.

John McCain picks Rudy Giuliani to cement his ticket's role as the strongest on national defense.  In the meanwhile, he manages to alienate the social and economic conservatives who so far have given him a vote of no confidence, and many of whom, while for the objectives of the War on Terror, are against staying in Iraq for 100 years.

Given these trends, what kind of show do we have on election day in November?  110% of the Democratic party shows up, while maybe 30% of the Republican party does.  (60% if McCain makes some serious compromises on his way to office.)  The rest of the party stays home, disheartened and unrepresented.

Who wins?

Now suppose McCain picks Huckabee as his VP.  A political alliance made in Heaven?  Hardly.  Subjugating the Christian and conservative right to a moderate is hardly going to come across as a consistent or reliable ticket, and economic conservatives will be even more frightened.  Combine big spending Huckabee with "I said I don't understand the economy" McCain and then throw in the possible economic recession and things go haywire--not just in the United States but worldwide.

So what if McCain picks Romney as his VP?  Romney gets the economy--its in his DNA, he says--but has already said he doesn't want to work for McCain.  I wouldn't either if I had the qualifications to be Dean of Harvard and my boss basically blew off West Point.  Even so, this is McCain's best shot at uniting the Party.

A stronger ticket would put Romney in the lead.  Who the VP would be is a tough choice.  McCain is too unpredictable to trust with the #2 seat.  "Undependable," if you ask Rick Santorum, who just signed on with and is touring with Romney.  McCain would help bring in the moderate crowd, a small notch in his favor.

A Romney-Huckabee ticket would help unite the social conservative vote, which until now has been divided, slightly favoring Romney.  (Romney has won the Evangelical vote in five of eight states to date.)  Huckabee doesn't seem to have much love for Romney, but that is his problem.  Romney can bring in any of 100 other conservatives to fill Huck's shoes, Santorum included.  It would just be a symbolic win to use Huckabee, and would put the Evangelical bigotry issue to bed.

A Romney-Giuliani ticket would draw some criticism from the right, but my friends in California love the idea.  Giuliani would bolster Romney's stance on defense, while Romney would carry the economic and socially conservative voter.

What about Romney-Thompson?  I came to respect Thompson during this race, but the energy issue seems like a big disconnect.  Romney is the picture of industry, and can hardly stop working.  He would be labeled a workaholic if he were not also so devoted to his family.  Thompson has strong, right wing opinions but seems to have envisioned being swept to the nomination by a wave of popular support instead of hard work.  I think a Romney-Thompson ticket, while buttressing the social conservative agenda (a noble aspiration to be sure), would send a mixed message to Wall Street.  What happens to our investments if, in spite of his healthy eating and fitness practices, Romney kicks the bucket?  I can't help but imagine the economy collapsing in a pile of Zzzzzzzzzzz's.

Maybe I am imagining things, but the President, in my mind, has the ability to set the pace for America.  We can't afford the prospect of a couch potato taking top seat.

Who's next?  Mitt Romney-Ron Paul.  This ticket would get some stares, but could get us a boost in fundraising and the grassroots come November.  I don't think most conservatives salivate at the thought of the Republ\can Party taking on a Libertarian slant, but I could keep an open mind on this one.  Biggest problem is Paul has very few electoral votes at this point, in spite of a second place finish in Nevada and a near second place in Maine.  Would the Ron Paul rEVOLution be willing to take the passenger seat?  Lots of "energy" here.

Now supposing that Romney is the nominee, what will that mean for us in November?

1. The Republican Party has a truly qualified (and well funded) executive to float against the Democratic ticket.

2. That same executive is also an economic, social, and national defense conservative who actually has a prayer of uniting the House of Reagan.  While he appears to have been the first choice of only 20% of Republicans in a seven person race, he was nearly everyone's second choice, including backers of Tancredo (who endorsed Romney), Thompson, Giuliani, and even Huckabee.

3. We will have a distinctly conservative voice to represent us in November.  (McCain is already drowning that voice, to what consequence?)

4. The economy should immediately start to pick up a little steam.  McCain has never led a company, let alone a country or a State.  For that matter, Obama and Clinton are a little weak in these areas, too.  Romney has led over 200 companies, the Olympics, and a State, all with flourishing success.  (For those who say he didn't do the job in Massachusetts, why is Romney getting over 50% of the vote there?  MA was in a pit of despair when he took office, and is well on its way to climbing out!)

5. Internationally, Romney will build on his Olympic success in creating good will around the world.  In contrast, McCain has promised us "more wars" according to the Huffington Post.  Not sure what McCain was thinking when he said that.  It is very possible that McCain's notoriety from straight talk comes from his inability to shut his mouth, let alone tame his temper.

Here's a link to the Huffington Post article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/27/mccain-warns-there-will_n_83459.html

6. We will have our first Republican candidate in decades who is rich enough not to be beholden to special interests.  His personal wealth is about 1,000 times what Michael Moore suggests the drug companies pay out to "buy" Congressional supporters.  If that doesn't persuade you, he is also rumored to not want a salary, something we haven't seen since George Washington.  Mitt turned down salaries for his role in the Olympics and as Governor of Massachusetts.

In the end, I have to conclude that Romney is infinitely more electable (not to mention worthy of election) than McCain.  McCain has the advantage of being willing to get dirty and make questionable political deals, while Romney has the advantage of putting his money where his mouth is.  But when it comes to the ability to represent Republican conservative values, and to hold a candle to this year's Democrat crop, only one candidate stands a chance, and that is Mitt.