I don’t care what Bob Dole said when he was in the mood for flattery, I’m not going to waste Bleeding Heartland readers’ time discussing why Governor Terry Branstad won’t be on anyone’s short list for vice presidential candidates. But it’s never too early to do a little scenario spinning about running mates.

A good running mate brings one or more of the following elements to a presidential campaign:

1. Appeals to a demographic or ideological group that is cool to the presidential candidate;

2. Delivers a state or helps the presidential nominee in a region of the country;

3. Communicates well and adapts easily to the “attack dog” role;

4. Generates excitement as a potential “first.”

Did I miss anything?

Because presidential candidates have different strengths and weaknesses, no one person will be the ideal running mate for every nominee.

Let’s assume former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney wins the nomination. His prospects are improving as attack ads damage Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry fails to unite social conservatives in Iowa and South Carolina. Romney has trailed a chain of “not Romneys” this year because many Republicans don’t consider him to be conservative enough. So obviously, he will need to pick a vice-presidential candidate with strong wingnut credentials. Republicans can’t win 270 electoral votes without locking down the South, so Romney would benefit from someone who appeals to Christian conservatives.

Romney has tried to strike a tone of civility during many of the Republican debates, and I think he has mostly succeeded in sounding presidential. But President Barack Obama’s campaign will try to bury the GOP nominee under negative messages, so if that person is Romney, he will need someone who can hit back on his behalf.

Having a charismatic woman on the ticket energized John McCain’s campaign in 2008. If I were a Romney adviser, I’d encourage him to think seriously about a woman running mate.

Who best fits these criteria? Michele Bachmann has performed well in the debates, but the beltway journalists were happy to help write her off as “crazy” during the summer of 2011. She wouldn’t be the worst choice for Romney, but I think she would generate a ton of negative press.

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who just endorsed Romney, strikes me as a much better choice. From what I’ve seen, she is knowledgeable and a good public speaker. She’s from a different part of the country, and unlike Bachmann, she wouldn’t be a big target for journalists. She is the daughter of immigrants from India and was raised in the Sikh faith, but she is a vocal Christian (Methodist). So she brings a lot of diversity to a party increasingly identified with white males.

Another solid path for Romney would be to choose a Latino Republican. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida seems like the best option. Florida is a must-win state for the GOP nominee, and Romney’s rhetoric on immigration may hurt him in other states with large Latino populations. Campaigning side by side with Rubio would help with damage control.

Come to think of it, Bachmann, Haley or Rubio would probably be strong running mates for Gingrich as well. If Gingrich recovers his footing, he will need someone without a long political career in Washington.

If the victorious “not Romney” turns out to be Perry (not looking likely, but stranger things have happened), he will need not only a strong communicator, but someone with a lot of experience and wisdom. Bachmann would not be a good choice, and neither would a first-term governor (Haley) or senator (Rubio). I can’t think of a great fit for Perry; it has to be someone with serious policy credentials.

Spin your own scenarios in this thread.

Speaking of running mates, I’ll throw this out there again: I do not expect Branstad to pass the baton to Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds in 2014. I don’t think Branstad is ready to groom a successor yet; he seems to be enjoying the his job too much.