Zero's speechifying talent wears thin rapidly, even without 3.5 years of negative achievement. Look to the left, say something, look to the right, say something ... blah, blah, blah. Total somnulence (unless the teleprompter gronks).
The only way Obama loses is if head wins out over heart with the electorate. There is no politician who can out-charisma Obama with the general public short of the second coming of Reagan. So I think putting a recognizably strong intellect on the ticket is the right way to go. The conclusion the public has to come to is that “we like Obama, but we need someone who’s going to be better at the job than him.” The public needs to learn that Miss Congeniality is nice but it doesn’t mean you know how to solve the country’s complex problems. I don’t know if it can be done but Ryan gets us closer.