VP Candidates Can Expect Vetting Palin Never Got

The Republican Party may be suffering from an enthusiasm gap this election cycle, but don't expect a game-changing VP this time around, writes Richard Stevenson at the New York Times. Someone like New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez might look ideal, for instance—female, Hispanic, Tea Party-friendly, handgun fan, bipartisan support. But she probably bears too many "surface similarities" to Sarah Palin, and this year's vetting process is going to be "as thorough and intrusive as the vetting of Ms. Palin was rushed and incomplete."

“They should expect a complete breach of privacy,” says one long-time political operative. Mitt Romney, for one, has given few clues about who he might pick, but expect someone with a "national brand name" who can withstand one of the most thorough background checks ever. "If presidential campaigns are MRI’s for the soul, as David Axelrod, President Obama’s political strategist, likes to say, vice presidential vetting this year will be a body-cavity search," writes Stevenson. (More Mitt Romney stories.)