(Newser)
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Marco Rubio tends to be on everybody's short list of VP candidates for Mitt Romney, and if that becomes reality it will be much like John McCain's pick of Sarah Palin, writes John Dickerson at Slate. Like Palin, Rubio is a politically savvy choice: He's a grass-roots favorite, "an envoy to a key part of the electorate and has crossover political appeal." It's a safe bet he'd be a rock-star campaigner, just like her. But here's the crucial similarity in Dickerson's eyes: Rubio "is also fundamentally at odds with his potential running mate's message and criteria for his vice president."
In McCain's case, he threw out everything he'd ever said about foreign policy experience and picked a novice in that realm. Romney, meanwhile, has stressed his "executive experience" in the business world and how essential it is for a president to have it. Rubio "has none." If Romney means what he says, he can't pick the Florida senator. "He may face his toughest test yet in avoiding the allure of Marco Rubio." Click for Dickerson's full column.
