Ross acknowledges Romney isn't exactly a low risk pick and fumbles around for an appropriate McCain veep:
When I think of the veep pick purely in terms of the party I'd like to see the Republicans become, I suppose I'd be happiest with Tim Pawlenty or Eric Cantor, both of whom seem much more in sync with the broad thesis of Grand New Party than your average Republican pol, even if neither of them are running around screaming about wage subsidies or the weighted-student formula. So out of the options on the table, I guess I'm pulling for one of them. But from a purely political point of view, I think McCain could use a pick that sparks more media excitement than either Pawlenty or Cantor probably would; I'm just at a loss to come up with someone who fits that bill and passes my own ideological litmus tests.
I think Pawlenty would be the best myself. But Hutchison could be a smart move. Ridge would drive the Christianists nuts. Romney is just political poison. I think McCain has a tougher problem here than Obama - because his base and his swing voters are so far apart.