I’m embarrassed to say I was very angry last Friday.  I heard on the radio that Mitt Romney was out and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was in and started talking out loud, to no one in particular. 

I said Sarah Palin may be a great conservative but, unlike Romney, she obviously did not feel ready and confident in herself enough this year to compete in the GOP primary and that it was “madness” to pick someone who has very little experience - neutering our criticism of Obama’s inexperience.

As you may know, I am a big Romney fan, like millions of others, and I’ve written a lot of articles why Romney would have been a great V.P.  In addition, I felt that Romney put himself out there, in JFK’s arena, endured national press scrutiny, raised millions from California to Texas, engaged in 20 Presidential Debates and McCain passes him over for Palin??

I was very disappointed and threatened, no one in particular, not to vote for McCain this fall.  I was going to take down my McCain signs and peel the bumper stickers off my car.

Then I heard McCain and Palin speak at his rally in Ohio.

It became clearer with every word that McCain, with one decision, advanced conservatism and, most importantly, our country.

Once again, McCain put “Country First”:

• Surely, Obama-Biden can’t claim McCain-Palin is more of the same :-).
• I agree with the first female V.P, Geraldine Ferraro, that, if elected, Vice-President Palin will help validate every parent’s promise to their little girls that they can be anything they want to be when they grow up.
• Nominating a woman who became pregnant with a down-syndrome baby, and kept the baby anyway, advances the pro-life movement like nothing else. Palin’s story will inspire millions to keep their babies.
• Voting for the GOP in 2008 will elect the first female Vice-President in history and discredit, once again, the popular folklore that the GOP is an all white-male club (most on the left overlook the fact Bush chose Dr. Rice, a black woman, to represent America to the world).
• Obama’s nomination threatened to put a Marxist/Socialist in the Oval Office. Americans in general, and conservatives in particular, needed McCain to win this one. Picking Palin is a stroke of genius that makes the GOP ticket attractive to women, especially disaffected Hillary voters, and McCain-Palin should be as successful as the surge in Iraq.
• Choosing Palin says, loud and clear, that a vote for the GOP is a vote to send two lifetime reformers to Washington to change the status quo.
• Palin’s nomination puts Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less on the ballot.

So, this Romney supporter is still hurting but, strangely, very hopeful about the future.

I will keep my McCain signs in front of my house and my McCain bumper stickers on my car. I will work hard to elect McCain over the next two months, the task being made easier, especially in Vermont, with a strong woman on the ticket. I have a hunch the Palin selection will inspire my teenage daughter to help too.

Well done Senator McCain.   Congratulations Governor Palin.

McCain introduces Sarah Palin to the 2008 Presidential Campaign.  Photo by Mark Lyons-EPA

The GOP is split right now.  Oddly enough, Huckabee’s stubborn reluctance to withdraw seems irrelevant.   The real problem is McCain.

The unethical way McCain sucker punched Romney in Florida.  The unprincipled way McCain stood with those who came here illegally and against those who took a “principled stand for the rule of law”.  The ungrateful way McCain sneers at those who in the private sector who, by the way, create the wealth that pays for our world's-best military.    

One way forward is to put Romney on the ticket.  Here’s why:

1. Romney earned more delegates and votes than any other potential VPs.  Had he stayed in, Mitt ’s lead over Huckabee would have increased.
2. Romney can help McCain in swing states like MI, MN, MA, ME, NV and Colorado.  Huckabee only helps him in states solidly GOP anyway.  
3. Romney’s tough on illegal immigration - important for conservatives concerned GOP sold them out for pro-illegal immigration business interests.
4. Romney can energize the base (and raise money) while McCain campaigns hard for independents - it’s a winning combination.
5. Romney fills some gaps in McCain’s resume.  Mitt’s brilliant on the economy and champions, rather than scorns, profit-seeking capitalists.
6. Romney as V.P. will reduce anti-McCain vote that Huck’s getting
7. Romney has raised more money and has more money than anyone. 
8. McCain looks like he might kick soon – nice to have Romney next in line.

Are there others?  Maybe.  Dr. Condi Rice is a favorite of mine - nobody has more foreign policy experience and she would effectively counter a woman or a black on the other side.  Huckabee ate popcorn-fried squirrel in college - so, by law, he’s out.  I really like Giuliani but he ended up with zero states after mounting a 50 state campaign.  Thompson voted no when asked to impeach Bill Clinton - that’s a non-starter for me and most GOP.   Bobbie Jindall of Louisiana is a possibility but, like Tim Pawlenty of MN and Charlie Crist of FL, can only offer one state with the promise of more. 

Mitt offers the reality of more - he has millions of real votes and hundreds of real delegates.  Mitt beat McCain in 5 key swing states - three that Kerry almost lost in 2004 (MN, MI, ME-31 electors) and two states Bush almost lost (NV, CO-14 electors).   In addition, Mitt would help McCain tremendously in MA (12 electors), where Mitt was Governor, and neighboring NH (4 electors) where Kerry beat Bush by only 1% point.  In contrast, almost every state Huckabee beat McCain (GA, AR, TN, KS) was solidly for Bush anyway in 2004.

Net, net - Romney on the ticket may add 47 to 61 electors.  Bush beat Kerry by only 34 electors.

Another appeal of Romney as V.P. is that you have tens of millions of supporters, including more than a few hugely influential talk radio hosts, who feel Romney is due - that McCain hijacked the party and that Romney should have been our standard bearer.   Putting Romney on the ticket gives those supporters permission to get behind McCain.

Back to reality - McCain hasn’t appointed Romney V.P. or apologized for Florida or signed a no-Amnesty pledge so why should we support him? If he had won, “fair and square”, we’d support him - but he didn’t.

Honesty matters. Integrity matters.  I’m not supporting McCain until he sets things right.

I don’t care how many persuasive GOP establishment folks write articles about how much McCain is a “true conservative”.  This is up to McCain.  So, I’ll ask his “surrogates” to...stop wasting my time!

Set things right, Senator McCain, then ask for my support.