McCain made his bed, and now he can lie in it. Too bad the rest of the country may be lying there too. It's truly unfortunate that he has lost sight of his past in a self-serving, offensive run this year. He partnered with Palin, who's an inexperienced joke.

The worst part is that if somehow McCain wins with Palin at his side, half of the country will want to flee. Had McCain run with Romney, although this life-long Democrat wouldn't have been thrilled with their win, I could still have held my head up. I would have been confident that two experienced, smart people were running the country. Now we'd be stuck with someone's who's recently turned into a nutjob and his mean arm candy.

Like it or not, the Vice President is still an office with very limited powers compared to the President. Even though Palin thought she was going to "run" the Senate, she doesn't.

In the Nixon years, Vice President Agnew used to make a lot of speeches - even in non-election years - to promote the President's policies and solidify support. That hasn't been noticeable ever since. Mondale didn't do much for Carter, or Gore for Clinton. And what Cheney did...well, the less said about that the better.

It would be good - I'd think essential - for the Veep to be the public face of the President and the Administration, appearing on pundit shows, special occasions, et cetera. The last eight years are not a good example, but the Vice President has been under-utilized for a long time.

Liberals and conservatives alike seem to think that Romney is the serious candidate who got away, perhaps because of anti-Mormon bigotry. If you look at his record in government, i.e. as the governor of Massachusetts, you will see a big fat zero in the accomplishments column. He got elected claiming to be a moderate, flip-flopped on everything, and then spent all his efforts as governor trying to overturn gay marriage. When he wasn't crusading with the homophobes at home he was out of state running for president by lambasting the very state he should have been promoting. I'm afraid that out of republicans running for president McCain was the best of a very bad lot. His picking Romney as running mate would have done nothing for the base,and Romney's record in Massachusetts wouldn't have helped him with anyone else.

Though no fan of the man (though I greatly admire his father), I think Mitt was way too savvy to link himself to McCain's doubtful fate. So even if they asked (and they may well have), I think Mitt would have declined.

Mitt's one of those who's already preparing for his '12 run, when he'll position himself as a sober, dependable, capable contrast to the erratic incompentents the GOP lost with the election before...

Just about anyone would have a good chance to be a "master deal maker" when a parent is a CEO of a large corporation & has Dwight Eisenhower at your dinner table during your childhood. He's just a member of the lucky sperm bank.

If McCain somehow could have known in August that the markets would collapse in October, rather than picking Romney, he could have just told everyone to move their 401Ks into cash. His prescience would have been marveled at for generations, he would have saved Joes of all occupations millions of their hard earned dollars, and he could have run with Osama bin Laden on the ticket and still won in a landslide.

The bifurcation of the GOP means Mitt "magic underpants" Romney wouldn't have helped McCain at all. He scares the bejeezzus out of the superstitious branch of the GOP, and you ain't Amurikan if you ain't got jeezus.

Andrew, as always, a thoughtful and timely column.

The specifics of Romney's background, the performance of his company, and the role of nepotism in his success are irrelevant to 95% of undecided voters. To the vast majority who are still straddling (or were, prior to the selection of Palin as VP) the fence between McCain and Obama, it's all about image.

Like it or not, Romney looks like an executive, went to Harvard and has a legitimate claim to a pretty good understanding of economics. This would have played well during the debates and stump speeches where the same sound bites get hammered into voters heads over and over.

Also, he already had a decent wardrobe.

It would have blown his chances for 2012. He is running for President, not

Vice President

that once banks started failing and credit markets seized up that one of those MBA morons who got us into this mess in the first place would have been all that popular.

But they adore Sarah. And the Amway Wing of the Republicans still will vote for McCain, even though they like Romney better.

I do not believe Mitt Romney appeals to Independents. And I believe his real father is Bob Barker of gameshow fame, rather than George Romney of Michigan.

As I understand it, McCain has a visceral hatred for Romney which is shared by many in Massachusetts. On the day of the Massachusetts primary, McCain made a special trip to campaign in Boston on Romney's home ground -- not because it was the best thing to do strategically, but because he just plain hates the guy.

I find him phony and smarmy, but then of course I would -- I'm a Massachusetts Democrat. If Romney was indeed the best choice for the party, it says something about McCain's vindictiveness that he's not on the ticket.

We have two right now and they haven't been particularly good for the country. Obama hit the nail on the head when he pointed out that HIS campaign had a far better return on investment than Romney's.

If you want someone who understands the bills he's signing into law, you want a lawyer. If you want someone to steal from you then you want an MBA.

The bifurcation of the GOP means Mitt "magic underpants" Romney wouldn't have helped McCain at all.

First, they're not underpants, they're more like a jumper. They cover both the upper and lower body.

Second, how dare you bring a religious slur into a political discussion? What are you a Republican? You sure as hell aren't a real American. We don't HAVE a religious test for public office.

Third, there are about a million perfectly good reasons for not supporting Mitt Romney without bringing up how he chooses to worship or what his faith requires him to wear. Pick as many as you want.