Romney Changes Topic To Veepee Dance

So what is a Romney to do? Clearly the decision to not release a decade plus of tax returns -- a formality done by every Presidential candidate dating back to his father -- is a calculated risk, as George Will notes, to avoid the calamity of what they contain. What, as Lenin said, is to be done?

Change the subject. Amp up the Veepee dance to change the subject. Baby Machiavelli. According to Politico:

"Mitt Romney's campaign announced Tuesday that it has hired staff for the presumptive Republican nominee's future running mate, further fueling speculation that the GOP hopeful will announce his pick soon.


"... The announcement comes as speculation mounts that Romney will announce his pick soon. Doing so could help the Republican challenger put to bed the Obama campaign's tough attacks on his tenure at Bain Capital, and provide an important surrogate to remain in the United States during Romney's international trip later this month.


"The Romney campaign has been tight-lipped about the timing and candidates under consideration, saying only that a decision would be made and announced before the Republican convention in Tampa, Fla.

"... But The New York Times reported earlier this week that Romney might have already decided on a choice, and a story by Reuters on Monday said Romney had narrowed his list to Sen. Rob Portman (Ohio), former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal."

If Romney picks Romney -- which every member in the chattering class has predicted -- that would be so monumentally boring. Pawlenty, too, would be a magnum of chloroform. Jindal -- meh -- kind of interesting, but thoroughly unseasoned.

How about Mike Huckabbee? A popular Arkansas Governor (and where have we heard that before?), a man that would actually humanize Romney, a man who is quite media savvy and really quite funny and solid with evangelicals. But Romney doesn't think that way; Romney is robotic; Romney will probably pick Pawlenty.