[G Larry]

Surprise!!!
Yes!
That he ran second in the vote count is ALL that matters!

There is NO OTHER unit of measure that places a candidate in the White House!

[MitchellC]

For one, again, I think this is McCain's to lose, unless he makes a really stupid pick like Huckabee, so I don't think Romney would actually cost him the White House, but in that case it wouldn't matter either way.

And Romney's vote count is greatly inflated because of his landslides in a few midwestern states that are safe for McCain anyway. Michigan is the only case for Mitt, and as I explained already I don't think it's a good case for getting new voters.

There are good potential VPs out there who lack the baggage that Mitt has, not just for this year, but in 4-8 years when it really matters. 'First loser' does not make you in the automatic VP in any case.