Actually, Perry / Rubio would be an inspired choice.
Perry's a very reasonable and sane politician with a good track record. He won't excite conservatives, but all in all, independents will probably not find anything overly unpalatable about him. I have a hard time getting excited for or annoyed with Perry, which is probably a pretty good sign for his general election chances. Obama just has this weird energy that was interesting to the country in 2008, but the novelty has long since worn off. A more conventional politician who has proven reasonably competent at running a large state will tower over Obama.
Rubio's a rising star with some excitement behind him. Not so much as to scare independents, but enough to excite conservatives. A solid conservative who can divert a good fraction of the Hispanic vote will pay dividends now and in the future. If we could groom Rubio for 2020, this could be quite an epic coup for us.
Rubio opposed Arizona’s immigration law. I won’t be voting for a ticket with him on it.