NRO = beltway prima donnas (with a very few exceptions).
The first debate will make or break Romney - it will be his one chance to bypass the media filter.
He should have chosen Condi Rice for VP to put the media in disarray for a precious few days that might have let him break out of the pre-defined narrative. Even then, even if he could put the opponent’s secondary in disarray, I wonder if he’d have a play to call.
He absolutely should have tapped a woman for the slot, agreed... although I would have steered clear of Rice, myself. (Too easy to play the "Here Comes Four More Years of GWB" card against her, sadly.)
I seem to recall reading someplace (Hot Air, perhaps?) that Nikki Haley was being vetted by the Romney campaign, at one point. That might well have ended up being my choice, all things being equal.