John Thune, on Fox News this morning, after being asked if he'd be a good vice-presidential match for Mitt Romney.
"Um, I think he's got a lot of good choices out there.... I expect to be working with him here in the United States Senate. I am anxious to work with a president who wants to solve these problems and wants to get this country back on the right track."
I still don't know why Thune isn't near the top of most VP power rankings (I've got him at #4 on mine).
He's got a strong resume, is attractive, has a Midwestern ease, no apparent skeletons, is evangelical, conservative, and here's a huge one -- he's remarkably good at staying on-message.
The only downsides? He's not from an important state (but that's overrated, anyway) and doesn't have the punchiness that nominees sometimes look for in Veeps. But neither does Portman, and Thune doesn't have Rob's baggage with the Bush Administration.
