John, A presidential hopeful should pick a running mate to win a state or send a message. Phil is right about Massachusetts and Utah; you win half a point with the Michigan suggestion, but only because Dems have made themselves extra vulnerable there by refusing to seat the state’s delegates at the convention. As for message, when Ronald Reagan picked George H.W. Bush in 1980, the message, to moderate Republicans, was: I will work with you. Bush turned around and sent the same message to conservatives by picking that good looking conservative guy Dan Quayle in 1988. What message would John McCain send to conservatives by picking Mitt Romney? Don’t get me wrong, I like Romney. He’s the candidate that I’d most like to have a beer… er, coffee… er, non-caffeinated Diet Coke with, but I’m not sure you manage to make up with conservatives by picking as your running mate the guy who couldn’t quite make the sale.
