Ten: Values. Romney has proven himself acceptable to evangelicals on moral issues. His speech on religion was a home run which underlined the bedrock principle that liberty is bound to religious faith:

RUSH: I want to start with Mitt Romney today, Mitt Romney’s speech. Frankly, I thought what we saw today, folks, was a Republican candidate for president giving an inspiring speech. It was an inspiring speech about American values, including religion.

-snip-

I thought he showed today his ability to confront, to articulate, to persuade, and to lead.

Mitt’s Christmas- card-picture-perfect wife and kids are reminders that the traditional family is the fundamental cornerstone of America.
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Nine: McCain is old. He needs someone who is younger on his ticket. Mitt is younger than his years, and he’s comfortable with aspects of technology and new media that McCain seems to find difficult.

Eight: Follow the money. Although McCain and the RNC have done a good job recently in raising funds, Romney can add to that big time. Romney would bring an accomplished fundraising apparatus to McCain’s campaign so it can garner the needed cash to match the Dems in political ad buys.

Seven: Mitt’s kinda fly for a white guy. With the media working overtime to elect Obama, McCain has trouble getting attention. The telegentic and articulate Romney could really help McCain get his message out. So Romney’s good looks and obvious appeal to women (who are the majority of voters) is much more of a key factor than would appear at first glance:

The April cover story on NewsMax’s monthly magazine, titled “The Reagan Candidate: Mitt’s got the right stuff for 2008,” described Romney as “standing 6 feet 2 inches tall [with] jet-black hair, graying naturally at the temples. Women — who will play a critical role in this coming election — have a word for him: hot.”

Six: McCain needs an attack dog. He needs a VP nominee who will go after the opposing ticket and take no prisoners, leaving McCain free to take the high road that he seems to prefer against Obama. An excellent debater with the best oppo team in politics, Romney is perfect for the role:

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.”

Five: Battleground states. Romney’s strength in Michigan would help McCain in a swing state that went for Kerry in 2004. And Romney also helps McCain in other important swing states like Colorado, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Ohio.

Four: No October surprises. Mitt is so clean that he squeaks. He has already been fully vetted by his GOP primary opponents, the media and the Democrats. There will be no John Edwards “there goes the Attorney General nomination” failures with Romney.

Three: He could save McCain’s bacon with conservatives. Although a late convert to the cause of conservatism, Romney has made all the right moves in appealing to conservatives since withdrawing from the race, beginning with his excellent speech to CPAC when he announced he was dropping out. It’s impossible to express just how desperately McCain needs the GOP’s conservative base. Many conservatives are so afraid that McCain will pick another centrist for his running mate that a Romney selection would be a welcome relief, especially among what Robert Novak calls Coulter conservatives.

Two: Can you say “executive experience?” Romney is the only major player in either party’s presidential process with a strong private sector resume, which means that he understands better than most how government economic policy impacts markets. In the public sector, he was an effective governor, despite having to deal with a legislature of the opposition party. His executive experience compliments McCain’s experience in the Senate. The editors of the Denver Post, in their endorsement of Romney, summed up why he impressed them:

Two issues have surfaced in the campaign that have undercut Romney’s popularity. First, his opponents have labeled the governor a “flip-flopper” for shifting views on social issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage. This is a valid concern, but politicians should be allowed to evolve over time as society changes or as they come upon new information. Romney admits to evolving positions on many matters. He told us that “someone who hasn’t changed their mind is someone you wouldn’t want” as president.

“I said, ‘Look, I personally oppose abortion, but I think the government ought to stay out of it.’ And that is effectively a pro-choice position,” Romney said. “And then I became governor and I became government and I got a bill on my desk which would have caused the creation of new life through cloning and the destruction of that life after 14 days and I simply said, ‘I cannot be party to that.’ So I vetoed that bill . . . and said, ‘I recognize that now that I am government, I simply must come down on the side of life.’ ”

The second issue has been the gratuitous focus on Romney’s Mormon faith. It’s been injected into the race, slyly and despicably, to create a wedge in the Republican contest. This sort of religious bigotry has no place in today’s political battles.

Romney’s handling of these troubles, with an even temperament and gravitas, were factors in our decision to support his bid.

Romney has the resume and executive experience to be not only an effective president, but a problem-solver in a world full of problems.

One: “It’s still the economy, stupid.” The economy is the single most important issue in this election. In every recent poll, economic matters are the number one concern of Americans. McCain starts with a disadvantage to Obama on the economy, and his own statement that the economy isn’t his strong suit is something the Dems are already trying to use against him. Mitt is the ideal choice to address McCain’s perceived weakness on economic issues. As a turnaround specialist, Romney would be a comfortable choice for those voters who fear that the country is slipping into a recession.

• JP