Looking at this chart of swing states, it becomes clear who John McCain's choice for VP should be. McCain should select Mitt Romney as his running mate. This move would put Nevada in the Republican category and, at the very least, make Michigan a "toss up" if not "leans Republican." To the extent Romney supporters are willing to travel to nearby Colorado and New Mexico, it could also ensure that McCain has a much needed, fairly active get out the vote effort in the southwest.

I never liked Romney. It wasn't the Mormon thing—every Mormon I've ever met has been an upstanding citizen. It also wasn't the slick way he managed to slam McCain for positions he had taken in the months before announcing his candidacy. My problem with Romney was that he embodied the ever-increasing banality of politicians, which I feel duty-bound to resist.

So I am rallying around him why? Not least because John McCain's election will postpone the death of personality for four to eight years. After all, McCain, as a boy, used to hold his breath until he got his way. There is every indication he would sucker punch a recalcitrant congressman once in the Oval Office. For his own part, Romney might even be willing to cut a big check, because McCain's selection will secure Romney the Republican nomination in the future.

The only downside? If McCain/Romney pull this off, National Review's post-election cruise will be short one VIP.