Romney Says He Would Agree to Be McCain VP Running Mate
Mitt Romney will do anything to help John McCain become president. He’ll even serve as McCain’s vice presidential running mate if he’s asked, the onetime Republican candidate told FOX News.
The former Massachusetts governor said he’s sure McCain has a long list of “terrific people” to choose from as a running mate, but he wouldn’t reject an offer.
“I think any Republican leader in this country would be honored to be asked to serve as the vice presidential nominee, myself included. Of course, this is a nation which needs strong leadership, and if the nominee of our party asked you to serve with him, anyone would be honored to receive that call, and to accept it, of course,” Romney said on Hannity & Colmes. It was his first televised interview since dropping out of the presidential race.
Romney said he expects McCain and his advisers will choose a running mate based on several factors.
“He’s going to have a process for doing that, which will begin by saying which person or people has the skills to actually become president, which could strengthen the administration and strengthen our nation at a critical time, and perhaps who could help in some political ways, who could help in some key states or with key constituencies,” he said.
Romney became a favorite of the conservative base during the campaign and still has 251 delegates in his pocket. He shocked supporters by dropping out during the Conservative Political Action Conference, two days after Feb. 5, Super Tuesday.
Romney told the conservative activists that it would be better for the party not to have a drawn-out fight that could jeopardize a victory in November. He urged conservatives to get behind McCain, and he said McCain’s national security credentials would be an asset for the country. A week later he formally endorsed his former rival.
“There really are no hard feelings” between him and the Arizona senator over the tough and sometimes bitter direction the campaign took, Romney said. Both of them fought for the positions they thought were best for the nation.
Romney added that he would be happy to discuss any issues with McCain if the candidate sought his advice on appealing to conservatives.
But he is not going to dispense any advice off the cuff, he said, because “I’m not going to try to guide the guy who won. … Let’s not forget, he won the primaries, he won the caucuses, he became the nominee, so the positions which he has are ones which have been successful in the final analysis.”
Romney said after he withdrew from the race, he took a break and visited with his grandchildren. He also spent time reflecting on his “experiences of a lifetime,” but he hasn’t “given a lot of thought” to a future presidential bid.
“That’s like asking a woman after she’s just delivered the baby, ‘Do you want to get pregnant again?’” he laughed. “Let’s let some time pass.”
The former candidate said he is now working on a schedule that will include fund-raisers and events for congressmen, senators and governors who supported his candidacy, as well as fulfilling other requests made of him.
“I will do whatever Senator McCain asks for me to do in his campaign to help out in any way that I can,” Romney said. “I want to make sure that we have conservative leadership guiding our country. … Now is the time for us to come together and support his candidacy.”
Romney said he hopes Barack Obama will be the Democratic nominee because he thinks the distinction between McCain and Obama will be easier to make than the one between McCain and Hillary Clinton.
“With Senator Clinton, there’s some confusion in perception that somehow being there while her husband was president made her a foreign policy, national security experienced person. She’s not. She doesn’t have any more experience really of a significant nature than Barack Obama does,” Romney said.
He added that when it comes to a general election, it will be evident to voters that Obama “is in no significant way qualified to lead the country in a time of war, to lead the country out of an economic challenge. This is not a person who can stand up to Senator McCain.”
Romney said while Clinton promotes experience, she is vulnerable. “My dad used to say, ‘There’s nothing as vulnerable as entrenched success,’” he said. “And now you look at the delegates, looks like she’s going to have to fight at this point.”
McCain-Huck 08!
mitt romney best qualified contender for vp.
Guys, stop talking about his religion, (either supporting or attacking), it’s so irrelevant. The truth of the matter is that Romney is above and beyond qualified to be our VP. He would help McCain gain the support of conservatives, he would help bring in his amazing fundraising talent, he would basically win all the Western States for McCain.
I pray to God that McCain picks Romney as Veep, if McCain really has America’s best interest in mind, that’s what he’ll do. If he’s selfish, worried about himself and how he’ll look, then he won’t pick Romney. I hope McCain is a better man than that.
McCain/Romney 08! Let’s do it!
McCain-Romney now that is a great ticket! Romney had my vote in the first place, and after he dropped out I supported McCain.
First of all it’s MORMON, not MORMAN. Some of you need to use a dictionary when you are writing your little posts, because you sound pretty dumb if you can’t write or spell correctly. Also Mitt Romney would make a wonderful VP.
The fundamental principle that made America great is not only that all men are created equal but are of equal worth in the sight of God. Anyone who truly believes that will not spend his life amassing great fortunes while other men struggle and suffer. Men at the far end of the conservative economic spectrum are unpatriotic and should not be permitted to seize control over the affairs of society. Such men pose the real danger to our freedom. No commercial media are more guilty in this regard than FOX News who is owned by an Australian. People reading this should ignore FOX’s attempts to put a puppet of those economic conservative extremists on the Republican ticket, specifically, a venture capitalist like Mitt Romney. Rather the American people should put the economic affairs of state in the hands of capitalists who demonstrate their conscience by how they lead their lives. Otherwise, control will fall into the hands of socialists and then we will cease to be America.
ROMNEY & MCCAIN, I THINK THAT WOULD BE AWSOME. For those who think Mccain is too old he would pick a 50 year old vp. Romneys strengh in economy and Mccains strength in the military,a man who served for his country. For those looking for a more conservative ticket this is the one! Economically we are in a shambles . We truely need someone w/ business since to get us back on track.
Here we go again with all the small minded, pea size brained people, namely people like Suzi in California and bigots incorp..
Vote for someone based on the merits, not the private interests.
Will you not vote for McCain and Mitt becasue Mitt has a dog and you are more of a cat person?
You say that sounds silly but that is essentailly what you are saying…
Romney should buy the 2008 Vice-Presidential spot for $25 million. That money could be used to advertise a McCain-Romney ticket on FOX News. Obama and his running mate will win by about 40 million votes. Romney will go back to venture capitalism, where he takes huge amounts of money and turns it into even more money by making even more people poorer. Then he can spend about $200 million of his own to run again in 2012. Half of it will go towards saving FOX from bankruptcy. The other half will go towards paying people to write admiring notes about him on FOX.
If Mitt Romney is the Vice Presidential candidate, I know 10 million votes that John McCain will lose.