Will Romney's Combative Style Net VP Nod?

(CBS)  This story was written by CBSNews.com political reporter Scott Conroy.

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Mitt Romney spent over $35 million of his own money and more than a year of his life on a bid for the presidency that fell short and ended abruptly. The former Massachusetts governor is not one to wallow in failure, but even for the incurably optimistic Romney, portraying his unsuccessful run in a positive light would seem an impossible task. Still, he manages.

"In some respects it's ideal," Romney said only half-jokingly as he sat down for an exclusive national interview with CBSNews.com before addressing the crowd at the opening of John McCain's Great Lakes regional headquarters. "Get out of the race just before summer so you can spend some time with the family at the beach."

Despite his deep summer tan, Romney has been anything but a beach bum as of late. Since dropping out of the Republican race in February, he has gone from being John McCain's fiercest rival to one of the Arizona senator's most visible surrogates. What was inconceivable during the height of their primary battles, the prospect of a McCain/Romney ticket, is now a real possibility.

The most obvious assets that Romney would bring to the Republican ticket include his economic expertise, fundraising prowess and potential to give McCain a boost in more than one battleground state. But a less talked about plus side to a Romney vice presidential candidacy is that despite his perpetually sunny demeanor, the former Massachusetts governor is not afraid to unleash razor-sharp political attacks against the opposition.

"This is not the time for an amateur," Romney said of presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama. "This is the time for a tested, proven professional to lead our country." (

Watch video of Romney talking about Obama

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Romney brims with confidence and is almost always unflappable. The McCain campaign has taken advantage of Romney's willingness to take the offensive by encouraging him to make TV appearances on the senator's behalf.

The ability to stay on message is an asset for any vice presidential prospect, but that very trait also led to criticisms during Romney's campaign that he could come across as impersonal or robotic.

Asked what his father George, who as Governor of Michigan during the 1960's was a champion of civil rights, would have made of an African-American candidate winning a major party nomination, Romney refused to go off script, even for a moment, to acknowledge Obama's historic achievement.

"I think most Americans do what the Democrats did in their primary, which is they look at the person and say who can be the right leader at a particular point in time, and they make that decision without regard to gender or race or faith," Romney said.

The kindest words of praise that Romney allowed himself to bestow upon Obama were "charming" and "well-spoken".

It wasn't so long ago that Romney's more scathing attacks were directed at Republicans, rather than Democrats. Even during the testiest moments of the primary campaign, Romney always insisted that he and McCain liked one another and shared no personal animosities. But that was a difficult concept to believe whenever the two men shared a tension-filled stage at one of their many debates.

At a fundraiser in Albuquerque on Monday, McCain said that he and Romney are now "good friends." For his part, Romney has gone from calling McCain "virtually indistinguishable from Hillary Clinton or Obama on a number of major issues" to praising his policies across the board.

"I think both of these guys are professional politicians-they get it," Michigan Republican Party Chairman Saul Anuzis said. "You get caught up in the primary and there's always emotions but a lot of that I think was more with the staffs than the candidates themselves."

Romney and those closest to him have insisted that he's not campaigning for the vice presidency and that the possibility of being asked to serve is highly unlikely. One former senior campaign adviser who remains in frequent contact with Romney insists that the former governor "really believes he's got zero chance" of being tapped to join the ticket and that he wouldn't have much of a desire to play second fiddle to McCain.

Romney said that he hasn't been asked to provide any personal information to the McCain campaign. But how much does a man who has already run for president and whose biggest vice is the occasional bowl of Count Chocula need to be vetted any further?

"The reason you pick Romney is you want a very solid, competent debater, a good governing partner, someone who'll do what you say, and someone who can communicate on economics," CBS News chief political consultant Marc Ambinder said.

As a successful venture capitalist, Romney speaks about the economy with level-headed authority speckled with his trademark optimism. Though he has an affinity for facts and figures, Romney has the ability to break down complicated economics into simple terms.

"This is not in people's heads-this is reality. People are hurting across the country," Romney said, rebutting Phil Gramm's judgment that the U.S. is a "nation of whiners."

Asked for his reaction to the news of downsizing at General Motors, the man who once gained traction by accusing McCain of exuding "Washington-style pessimism" on the automobile industry was as bullish about the business as ever.

"There's no reason why the American automobile industry can't be just as competitive as that coming from Japan, for instance," he said. "The Japanese are building automobiles right here in the United States. Why can they build cars here when we can't build cars here?" (

Watch video of Romney talking about GM

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Romney has already been an active fundraiser for the presumptive Republican nominee, but adding the former governor to the ticket could give McCain the extra leverage he needs to bring in enough cash to compete with Obama's record-breaking fundraising, especially in Michigan, where the Romney name is especially salient.

"I don't think anybody's holding back," Anuzis said of Republican donors in Michigan. "But there's a difference between contributing and being part of the team and raising money enthusiastically."

Even with so many qualities that could potentially benefit the ticket, the fact remains that Republican voters already had a chance to back Mitt Romney, and most of them chose not to. Throughout the latter part of 2007, Romney held strong leads in Iowa and New Hampshire, which seemed to evaporate as voters there honed in on other candidates.

Romney's Mormon faith remains a political question mark as the vice presidential guessing game rages on. Though he has always espoused his conviction that voters have gotten beyond what he calls "the politics of identity," Romney seemed to acknowledge for the first time in his interview with CBSNews.com that his religion was indeed a handicap in the Iowa caucuses, when evangelical Christians turned out in droves to vote for Mike Huckabee, a former Baptist minister.

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VP Hot Sheet: McCain
CBSNews.com tracks the veepstakes buzz and ranks the top contenders.

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"In the big primaries like California and Florida, Michigan, New Hampshire, I don't think faith played a particular role in those events," he said. "And perhaps in some small segment or in a caucus or two, that may play a larger role because there are much smaller numbers of people."

Even if he is more interested in the vice presidency than he lets on, Romney is not going to sit around waiting for the call. Next month he plans to attend the Summer Olympics in Beijing, which take place right around the time when McCain is expected to announce his running mate.

But until that day comes, don't expect Romney to weigh in on his chances.

"That's a topic I don't speculate about," he said.

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Click below to watch the entire CBSNews.com interview with Mitt Romney.


By Scott Conroy

[spiceman22]

Have you noticed that Romney supporters are more polite? Does that say anything. I would say it does.

I guess Thomas Sowell is right, "It is amazing the panic an honest man will cause in a multitude of hypocrites."

Either that or they are so uninformed because or they are running from the left, Liberal-Statist Democrats

[spiceman22]

Mass. Gov. Romney Makes Visit to Iraq
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney makes unannounced visit to Iraq

BOSTON, May. 24, 2006
By GLEN JOHNSON AP Political Writer

[spiceman22]

Mass. Gov. Romney Makes Visit to Iraq
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney makes unannounced visit to Iraq

BOSTON, May. 24, 2006
By GLEN JOHNSON AP Political Writer

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/24/ap/politics/mainD8HQ89280.shtml

[gadaki]

For what it''s worth, I wouldn''t mind someone in the White House who has financial savvy...isn''t it about time?

[mbrandish]

Romney is the best man for the job. All the references about Mormon racism are foolish lies by those who do not know the doctrines of the LDS faith. Look around at your Mormon friends. I challenge you to find one that isn''t exemplary in most every way. That is what you will find in the LDS church. Good, wholesome, honest, hardworking, genuine individuals. None of them will in reality disappoint anyone.

[becauseicare]

Poyman is absolutely right! There are many rational evangelicals out there that are completely over shadowed by those who are ignorant of the Mormon faith and choose to allow their pastors to make up their minds for them. A perfect example is that Mike Huckabee has some serious ethical issues but they think he is a saint - Mitt Romney has led a squeaky clean life, no hints of ethical issues and they see him as the devil incarnate. Ignorance is bliss I suppose. Mitt Romney should have been the nominee and he was the victim of the Huckabee/McCain tag team. I don''t like John McCain but my country is most important and I don''t trust Obama AT ALL.

[theswedes1]

In fact, it turns out that Mormons are the only religious group ever forcefully expelled from the United States. They went to Utah which was in Mexico at the time. As an American, I am ashamed of this legacy. To think people once came to this country to gain religious freedoms. ha ha.

The Utah Territory became a state larger than Texas with 350 LDS settlements stretching from southern Canada into Mexico. Most people think of Utah only, apparently Las Vegas, San Bernadino, Boise, the Pheonix area and several cities that later became modern San Francisco were all settled and built by the Mormons.

These people are an important part of our national fiber. For real, Disney should be making cartoons like Paul Bunyan to celebrate Mormon history. Instead, they get your sensationalized propaganda.

The least we can do is allow them to run for President, especially with such an ideal candidate. no more red herrings from the anti-Mormons please.

[theswedes1]

miles: According to your logic of Presidential qualification every Southern Baptist candidate should have KKK heritage robes in mind when they run. That would include an awful lot of past and present candidates.

I''ve been googling this and did you know that in the 1830''s when slavery was rampant, the Mormons were out in Mexico (Utah) where slavery was abolished and blacks/whites could sit side by side on pews decades before the Civil War, let alone Rosa Parks. You''re calling that racist?

The LDS Church is full of black membership. Most of the red herrings you are throwing out are out of context anyway. You are very good at pushing focus away from the things that matter with Romney, like his ability to turn the country around and turning it to this bigoted drivel instead.

The constitution (Article 6) states that no religious test shuld be required for office. I prefer the Constitution to your methods.

[wardoglrs]

Romney says.. Dammit i spent millions on this and I need it back to pay all those favors to the elites

[logicandreas]

Wow, those of you commenting on his religion are not only wrong on almost every point, you miss the point entirely.

Let me refer you to the US Constitution, Article VI, secstion 3....

%u201C ...no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States. %u201D

Who cares what his religion is? It has NO BEARING on his bid for political office. The fact that any of you are making it an issue shows more about YOUR shortcomings and bigotry (and in many cases ignorance), than anything it says about him.

Romney has a proven track record of cleaning up financial and political messes others leave behind, without job loss, without loss of benefits. While I certainly hesitated at first, due to religious belief, it took only a moment to realize as an ADULT, that his religion plays ZERO part in this discussion. Grow up and do what''s right for this country; start supporting candidates that actually have the experience to get things done, rather than pandering to stupidity.