Chris Cillizza profiles an ambitious Nevada Senator John Ensign, who's not entirely dismissive of a national bid, saying running for President is "not something I would ever rule out".
For another good profile of Ensign, travel back to December 10, where Erin McPike raised the idea of a Romney/Ensign ticket.
Subscription required, but here are a few highlights and lowlights of an Ensign presence on the presidential stage.
Some leadership aides say he is overlooked because he has been around so long, and one top Republican strategist calls the outgoing National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman "undervalued and underestimated." But other GOP operatives say the slight is intentional because Ensign didn't do enough to help the party this year.
Some leadership aides say they get nervous when Ensign speaks to reporters after the weekly policy luncheons, with one saying "He's not very good off the cuff."
Rep. Kevin McCarthy is one who recognizes Ensign's ambition and electorally important state:
"I think the way Nevada has gone, Ensign's setting himself up to be a VP candidate one day."
As for whose VP candidate?
Ensign is clearly high on Romney. In late October, for example, when Ensign told a Las Vegas television station that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin wasn't quite ready for the presidency, an interviewer asked if former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge or Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., might have been better vice presidential picks, he quickly added Romney's name to the mix. And in an interview last month with CongressDaily, Ensign said Romney was "keeping a high profile and he's keeping his options open. ... I like Mitt a lot."
[Hat tip: Ben Smith]
