My instinct is to say that Gingrich does not play well with others yet he was the model of a subordinate fidelity when he acted as whip for Bob Michaels while Michaels was minority leader of the Republican Party in the House. There was nothing in his behavior then that I can recall which would alert us to the fact that Gingrich might not be a team player.
Yet I feel somehow that a presidential candidate would be reluctant to put Gingrich on the ticket. The office is a constitutional office and Gingrich is coming to the end of his career, he cannot expect to run in eight years when he will be about 75 or so. In other words, Gingrich might not want the position and if he takes it, he has nothing to lose by asserting his independence. The vice president cannot be fired by the president, it is a constitutional office. He can be shunned but that is difficult to do to a man like Gingrich without setting off a bunch of landmines.
If Gingrich accepts and becomes vice president, one would hope that he could be as fine an addition to the administration as Dick Cheney was. I think it is unquestionably true that our safety today is thanks to one man. Dick Cheney is a patriot who accepted uncomplainingly a lot of cheap demagoguery in order to kept us safe.
I suppose somebody with Gingrich's candlepower and drive could be given specific areas of responsibility much like Cheney assumed for homeland security. Then the question becomes whether Gingrich becomes a loose cannon or subordinates his pyrotechnics to be quietly effective in the model of Dick Cheney?
My inclination is to say that he will not be offered the vice presidency and if he is, he might not take it. He would certainly only take if he could negotiate a guarantee of real and substantial power.
Despite the arguments about natural born citizenship status, the ideal vice presidential pick remains Marco Rubio who will bring Florida and a bite of this Hispanic vote with him. He has very little baggage, is effective on the stump and in debates. It is not a surprise that he is everybody's first pick. I believe he will accept, despite his recent disclaimers.
