First it was Sarah Palin. Now it’s Herman Cain urging the GOP (and implicitly, Mitt Romney) to put the Wild Man from Plantation on the national ticket:
The former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza explained on the radio show, “Here’s why. He is direct. People in Florida love him. He has a huge following. He is from Florida – Florida is going to be one of those key states But more importantly, Col. Allen West is a dedicated patriot, he served in the military and he’s willing to serve his country some more.”
It really, really ain’t happening, but the more this sort of talk circulates in the fever swamps, the less flexibility Romney is going to have to pick a running-mate who is a general election (or White House) asset instead of an act of submission to movement conservatives and a nod to racial, ethnic or gender diversity. This is, after all, precisely how John McCain wound up giving the nation the great gift of permanent celebrity for Queen Esther of the Permafrost.
