Dickerson: Rubio not experienced enough to be VP
(CBS News) -- Now that Mitt Romney has become the presumptive nominee for the Republican nomination for president, all eyes in the political world are looking to see who he will pick to be his running mate. And a lot of Republicans are saying Florida Sen. Marco Rubio could be the number two on the Republican ticket this year.
But CBS News political director John Dickerson says Rubio does not have enough experience to pass what many see as the most important test for getting the nod: whether he can step in to be the president on a moment's notice.
"I think a fair reading of his career would suggest he doesn't" have the experience to step in and take over for Romney if something unexpected were to happen, Dickerson said on "CBS This Morning."
"Marco Rubio has no real executive experience. And that was one of the big knocks against candidate Obama (in 2008) and one of the reasons Republicans say the president has been a failure because he lacked that executive experience and that is a hurdle that Marco Rubio just can't clear right now," Dickerson said.
Dickerson noted that former Vice President Dick Cheney, who has often said the most important characteristic needed for a running mate is the ability to be president, was a surprise choice.
"Remember Dick Cheney was an out of nowhere pick for George W. Bush. He picked him because he said he had the kind of experience necessary to step into that job," Dickerson said, adding that "this pageant has a long way to go."
Dickerson said Romney and Rubio, who held a town hall together in Pennsylvania Monday, are out in public now because it is beneficial to both men.
The senator gets to increase his national profile and even if he does not end up on the ticket, Romney may pick up some votes in Rubio's Florida, which will be a crucial state in November.
"Rubio's Cuban heritage might help Hispanic voters be open to" Romney, Dickerson said, noting that it remains unclear what effect Rubio would have on Romney voters in other key states like Colorado and New Mexico.
To see the interview of Dickerson by "CBS This Morning" co-hosts Charlie Rose and Erica Hill, click on the video in the player above.
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Right, but Barack Obama, junior senator and community organizer, was experienced enough to be president?
I guess there is nothing else they can attack Rubio for so they have to make up this non sense about being qualified.
No one who voted for Obama should have any questions of Rubio being qualified. Because you already shown that you don't care about qualifications to be president when you placed your vote for someone who's only experience was community organizer and state senator for 1 term.
George Bush was touted as being the first MBA President and had little experience himself. He did however have the experience members of at least three past Republican Presidential administration members as part of his cabinet and is father, a President yet he still managed to screw up the country.
What exactly makes Mitt Romney so experienced? Considering his records as Governor have been bought and sealed. We do know that he was the 47th state in job creation during a time when n the economy was booming. We do know that he enacted health care in his state. We also know while being given credit for saving the Utah Olympics, he was only able to do that with a Government bailout. But what did he really do? And we also know that he shipped more jobs out of the country with Bain than he created in the country. So what exactly has Romney done for this country that makes him more qualified than a sitting President?
Meanwhile, as much as you people hate to admit it, President Obama IS THE ONLY ONE in this race who has the experience to be President. HE IS President of the United States of America. Romney has been running for that office now for six years.
So that bozo Obama was qualified and Rubio is not? Please.
And did anyone notice that Rubio does not need a teleprompter to get his points across? :)
are having long-lasting convulsive seizures, spewing brain dead
"Obama is a socialist", witless "save the republic", and
hysterical temper tantrums as they reek of self-induced paranoia and
despair. These conservative village idiots can see the fact that
Obama is going to win this election because the fact is the more people like him than not, and more people dislike Romney than like him... I love the comment section. Please keep writing the "socialist" nonsense, it just shows how ignorant you all are.... Rubio, sure pick him, it makes no difference.
@twodm, it just shows how ignorant you are when you don't even know what socialism is when you see it. share the wealth? steal from the rich?"""
Thank you for making my case, just keep calling Obama names, it helps with the swing voters.